Romance and Heroics
by RumpCrunch
Summary: Takes place after the Internship arc. Izuku is gravely wounded in the final battle, and Ochako is devastated. When she visits him in the hospital, Izuku sees their relationship in a new light. Will Ochako be able to control her feelings for Deku once again? And will Izuku be able to compose himself to act on these new feelings? Big thanks to the Izuocha discord for inspiring me!
1. Chapter 1

**Romance and Heroics**

 **Spoilers for the current arc!**

All Ochako saw was the color white. From the floor, all the way up to the ceiling. Some paintings hung from the walls in an attempt to add some color to the room, but they weren't helping much. The sight was starting to become a regular occurrence for her. and she was beginning to hate it. The only thing keeping her from being completely uncomfortable was the chair she was sitting on. Soft yet firm, perfectly supporting her back, allowing her to relax and unfold in it. However, she'd give up the comfort in a heartbeat just to see Midoriya.

The battle with Overhaul left Midoriya's body in shambles yet again. Ochako was used to seeing Midoriya sacrifice his well being for the sake of those around him, but that wasn't entirely the case this time. What bothered her the most was that most of his injuries weren't self inflicted. Deku's muscles and bones were strained heavily by using Full Cowl 20%, but other than a few bruises he didn't harm himself. Midoriya was in this much pain _because of someone else._ The thought of someone causing intentional harm to him made Ochako boil with hate.

 _'Who could ever want to hurt someone so selfless and kind?'_ She thought to herself, beginning to grow impatient.

She needed to see him.

The last time she set her eyes on him, he was on the ground next to an unconscious Overhaul. Midoriya's hero costume was in tatters, riddled with holes. He was covered head to toe with cuts and gashes, all of which were covered with blood. His left arm was bruised, but his right arm was broken by one of Overhaul's attacks. The boy's legs were the most unharmed, but still covered in scrapes. The worst of all though, was that he was impaled with one of Overhaul's rock spikes, right through his shoulder. Blood was slowly dribbling out of his mouth, and the only noise he was able to make was a quiet gurgle. The second she saw him, she was frozen with shock. Ochako was only capable of looking at him in complete horror. She's seen him in terrible shape before, but this was different. This was actually life threatening. Recovery girl was nowhere around, they were underneath the area where the ambulances and paramedics were, and they were still a good 20 minutes from the nearest hospital. She knew she had to help him get to an ambulance, but her feelings completely took over her senses. Instead of safely trying to help him up, or even cover some of his wounds, she found herself embracing Midoriya, pleading with him not to leave her all alone.

"Y-you _can't die here,_ D-Deku! Y-you can't leave me h-here all by myself! W-we s-s-still have so much w-work to d-do!" She had her head buried into Midoriya's collar, crying uncontrollably. She was crying so much she was stuttering over her outburst of tears.

"We still n-need to become heroes! T-t-there's so much left t-to learn! W-we have s-so much to ex-experience TOGETHER! YOU _CAN'T LEAVE_ ME YET, PLEASE!"

Everyone else looked on in heartbreak and concern. Most of the heroes were tending to Nighteye, trying to keep him alive, but the sudden outburst of such tender affection turned everyone's heads. Tsuyu considered going to help and console Ochako, but she figured she shouldn't smother Midoriya. Tsuyu had no idea how to tend to wounds that serious, anyway.

Ochako suddenly found herself being pried off of Midoriya. She tried desperately to cling onto him, but a voice immediately cut her off.

"Clinging onto him like that and crying into his neck isn't going to do anything for him! If i'm going to get him out of here, I need you to get off of him and let me do my job!"

Ochako looked up to the hero who was trying to tear her away from her friend. It turned out to be Rocklock, looking down on her with annoyance, but a hint of pity. She immediately collected herself, and let go of Midoriya.

"Now, you need to either leave, or help the other heroes. You're not injured as bad as the rest of us, so you could help a lot more if you tended to injuries instead of crying like a useless scared child! I'll get Deku out of here, you can trust me with that!" Rocklock was now fully annoyed.

"R-right! I'm sorry! I-I'll go help the others, but please get him somewhere safe!" She was wiping her eyes, struggling to fight the tears. She ran in the direction of Tsuyu, and the both of them played the role of support until everyone was lifted out of the hideout.

The second she was able to leave without feeling guilty about leaving anyone behind, she rushed to the nearest hospital where Midoriya was likely taken to. Using her quirk on her costume to make herself weight less, she sprinted the entire distance to the hospital, not stopping for anything. Her thoughts didn't waver from him, so she easily neglected her exhaustion and screaming joints.

Bringing herself back to the present, she once again looked around at the plain white waiting room. Confirming she didn't miss anything or anyone, her mind started to shift on something else. Why did her heart hurt so much? Ever since she saw Midoriya like that, her heart felt like it was stabbed by a thousand knives. This pain went beyond what she normally felt when she saw someone she knew get hurt, and she didn't understand why. Was it because she was still exhausted from the fight and the run over to the hospital? No, this wasn't exhaustion. It couldn't be. She's pushed to her very limits through training before and she's never, ever felt her heart beat this way before. Maybe she actually was injured and she hasn't noticed it yet. However, she remembered being looked at by the paramedics who were helping the heroes. The EMT said she only had scrapes and bruises, so that couldn't be it either.

That's when she felt her heart rumble. Like chains were shaking, desperately trying to unlock themselves. Why would she feel this? It was almost like her feelings for Midoriya were trying to-

"No." She immediately cut herself off from her thoughts.

"Not now, I can't show my feelings any attention. I need to be strong for him, I can't be selfish like that. I have to keep them locked up." She said.

She felt a different kind of pain in her heart. An emptiness. almost. Like she's denying herself something she really needs. Her heart became much heavier, and she sunk into a sadness.

' _I_ _ **can't**_ _act on my feelings. At least, not now. I can't get in the way of our dreams. But...'_

She began to question herself.

' _Why can't I? If friendships are important and helpful in a heroic career, then why can't-'_

"Uravity?"

She was immediately pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of an old, rough voice.

"He's still in rough shape, but he's conscious. You can come in to see him, if you'd like. I'm sure he'd enjoy the company."

She sprung straight out of her seat and over to the doctor who lead her to Midoriya's room. The doctor let themselves in, and closed the door behind them.

Midoriya was covered head to toe in bandages. His right arm was buried in a thick cast, and his neck was in a neckbrace. He was looking out the window, admiring the view with his emerald green eyes she loved so much. Upon hearing the door open, Midoriya looked towards them, and immediately lightened up. He was weak, so he could only manage to give a small grin. But his eyes lit up with affection and care when he saw Ochako.

"Deku!" She ran towards his bed. Careful not to hurt him, she slowly brought herself into his arms, giving him a tender embrace.

"I'll leave you two alone, then. Call if you need anything." The doctor said, feeling like an unwanted presence in the room.

"D-Deku! You had m-me so s-scared! I thought y-you were gonna d-d-die!" She didn't notice her out of control sobbing.

"I'm f-fine U-Uraraka-san. B-but are you ok? D-Did Overhaul hurt you at all?"

She was in disbelief. He was the one in the hospital bed, but he was more concerned about her. That's another thing she loves about him, his selflessness.

She felt her heart rattle again.

"I'm fine, Deku! Don't worry about me!" She started to wipe her tears and collect herself. She wanted to be strong in front of him.

"Are y-you s-sure, Uraraka? You're crying." Midoriya wasn't going to die from his injuries at this rate, Ochako was so close! He could feel his face flare up in embarrassment. It's not like he didn't like it, though.

"I... I'm fine, Deku! Really!" Her cheeks became redder than usual. She couldn't help it! Deku was so close, and her heart was all over the place. Not to mention, she noticed how red Midoriya was.

"W-Well, thanks for coming to s-see m-m-me! I'm s-surprised Tsuyu isn't w-with you, though. I-is she ok?"

"O-oh! Yeah, Asui's ok. She went back to the dorms. I asked her to come with me, but she felt said she didn't want to be the third wheel."

Midoriya's face turned into a tomato.

"W-W-WHY WOULD T-TSUYU S-SAY T-THAT?!"

Seeing Midoriya's reaction, her face became just as red.

"I-I DON'T K-KNOW, I B-BET IT W-WAS J-JUST BECAUSE SH-SHE DIDN'T W-WANT T-TOO MANY P-P-PEOPLE C-CROWDING Y-YOU IS ALL!" She instinctively let Midoriya go, and covered her face in her hands.

Midoriya started to bury his face in his one good hand, but something didn't let him. He didn't want her visit to be ruined by being so awkward, so for the first time, he made a solid effort to hide his flustered expression. He instead tried to change the subject.

"Uraraka, is... is Nighteye ok?"

Ochako's face suddenly went pale. She dropped her hands, and started to look down.

"I... I don't know. Last time I saw him, he was being taken into an ambulance. He's probably here, too."

"I... I see." Midoriya saw how uncomfortable he made things, and how sad Ochako seemed to now look. So he made one last attempt to alleviate the mood.

"I really appreciate you coming to see me, Uraraka. You mean a lot to me, so it means a lot that you'd come see me. Thank you."

That's when Midoriya truly noticed Ochako. How truly beautiful she looked. Despite being in her hero costume he finally noticed just how cute she was. Her silky smooth chestnut hair, her beautiful deep brown eyes, her adorable rosy cheeks, her flawless skin, and even her attractive figure. He hated how he sounded like Mineta just then, but he didn't care. She was stunning, and he felt something in his heart shift. A feeling he's never felt before. He didn't know what to call it, so he decided to bury it for now and ask All Might or his mom about it later.

Ochako noticed him staring at her, noticing his eyes looked different. Like he was admiring her, inspecting her almost.

' _Could he actually be... checking me out?!'_

She went back to how she was only a minute ago. An embarrassed, flustered mess. Her face flared up to the color of the sun, and buried her face in her hands.

"wellimgladyou'reokdekuandijustrememberedTsuyuwantstohangoutsoillcomebacktomorrowokbye!"

She ran out of the hospital room and closed the door behind her, leaving Midoriya shocked and confused. She walked back to the waiting room, and sat down to collect herself.

' _What did I just do? Izuku must be so confused right now, I just ran out of the room! I have to go back and tell him I'm sorry, then-'_

She remembered why she ran out of the room. How she caught Midoriya staring at her in awe, and how embarrassed she felt.

 _'Was he really checking me out like that? It's so unlike him to do something like that! He wouldn't just stare at his friend like that! Unless maybe he... likes me too?'_

Her cheeks erupted into the brightest shade of red anyone has ever seen, and she curled up into a ball on her chair. She didn't realize she was muttering to herself. Or that the doctors were all looking at her in a mix of confusion and shock.

 _'No, no, no, no no, there's no way someone as amazing as Izuku could ever...'_

Her heart became 10 times heavier.

 _'But the way he was looking at me, could he actually?'_

Her heart became as light as a feather.

' _Maybe, but I'm too embarrassed to even ask! What should I do? What if everyone thinks bad of me because I brought romance into hero-work? What if he rejected me? What if he doesn't even like me? I don't know what to do...'_

She couldn't know what to do. How could romance and hero work ever interact? Was it impossible, or was there any way she could make it work? She needed help from an actual hero.

' _I... I could ask Ryukyu... or maybe Gunhead. Or maybe even All Might since Midoriya looks up to him so much. Maybe. I'll come back tomorrow to check on Midoriya, but right now I just... I can't. I need to get myself under control before I can face him again.'_

Finally making up her mind, she un-wound herself from her ball of comfort she set herself up in, only to see all the doctors looking at her. Now even more embarrassed than she was before, she apologized, and quickly made her way outside.

Back inside his room, Midoriya was frozen.

' _Oh no, did she see me staring at her like that?!'_

Now, Izuku was burying himself in only working hand. He was such an idiot! Ochako saw him looking at her like that like some kind of pervert.

' _Will she treat me like Mineta now? Like some kind of sex crazed pervert? I'm such an idiot! She came all this way just to see me and I botched it up by being so selfish!'_

Yet, Izuku couldn't help but think of how gorgeous Ochako looked before. How truly stunning she was. Then he remembered how Ochako was the only one who came to visit him. Not even his own mother has come yet! She was the first one. He then remembered how she threw herself onto him when she finally saw he was ok. After thinking about how amazing that hug was, he started to vaguely remember what Ochako said when she found him lying next to Overhaul when he was a bloody mess. She kept saying We, like they were some kind of couple.

He started to feel his heart tighten again. That same unknown feeling he felt when he noticed how stunning Ochako was. He felt like his heart was a jumbled mess, like he had to get something out. But he didn't know what that was, or what this new feeling was.

' _Could she... like... me?'_

Izuku's face flared into a blinding shade of red, bright enough to outshine the sun.

 _'H-h-h-how could s-s-someone l-l-like O-O-Ochako even... h-how c-could A-ANYONE e-ever like m-me... r-romantically?A q-quirkless n-nobody. There's n-no way s-she d-does. B-but...'_

He again remembered all the times Ochako got flustered around him. How weird she would act when Hatsume-san would interact with him. How she teamed up with him in the Sports Festival when no one else would. How she ran away from him at the mall when they were all alone. All of this seemed to say there could actually be a chance that she could actually have feelings for him.

 _'I-It's probably not true. Who c-could ever h-have f-f-feelings for m-me? B-but still... all t-those times... could s-she really?'_

Izuku felt his heart flutter. That same, unknown feeling came back stronger than ever. He felt like his injuries have disappeared and all of his worries were gone. Just the thought of Ochako having feelings for him made his heart feel weightless.

' _I...I still don't k-now about this... or if s-s-she even t-thinks of m-m-me that w-way, but... I need to know what this f-feeling is. Every time I see Ochako... my h-heart just gets all... jumbled. I can't be f-feeling this way while I-I'm doing Hero work. Do these f-feelings even h-have any place in heroics? I... M-Maybe All Might could help. H-He'll know what this feeling is. And i-if it can e-even exist in h-heroics.'_

Exhaustion hit Izuku like a train. His thoughts shifted from these selfish personal desires to that of his allies.

' _Was Nighteye ok? What about Mirio? Eri, what about her? Was she safe? She was with Ryukyu last time I saw her...'_

Izuku yawned. He was absolutely shot. Between the dozens of cuts and the giant gaping hole in his shoulder, he was done for today. He'd save his concerns, questions, and feelings for tomorrow. He was both dreading and anxiously awaiting Ochako's next visit. He retired back to his pillow, and was about to drift off to sleep.

"IZUKU!" A heavenly, innocent voice shot through the silent air of his room.

"M-Mom?"

He was brought into a tight hug by his kind mother, bless her heart.

"IZUKU! ARE YOU OK? HAVE YOU EATEN? DID YOUR FRIENDS COME TO VISIT?"

"I-I'm fine, mom. Really. Nothing I can't recover from. I didn't hurt myself this time, honest!"

Izuku spent the next half hour assuring his mother that he was ok and all of his friends made it out ok. He couldn't mention Mirio or Nighteye though, his mom would never allow him to see All Might or U.A again! But finally, after that long and exhausting half hour, Inko allowed her son to sleep. She was tired too, so she fell asleep besides her son, holding his hand. Assuring him that everything was going to be fine.

Ochako returned to her dorm, and fell onto her bed like a ton of bricks. She tried to return to sleep, but her thoughts about Izuku kept her up most of the night. She knew she couldn't just deny these feelings like she did before, and she knew it wasn't going to be healthy to keep them locked up forever, so all she could do was wait until someone explained what she should do to her. She tossed and turned, until she found that glorious one comfortable position, and finally fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Romance and Heroics**

 **Spoilers for the Current Arc!**

Izuku was resting peacefully in his hospital bed, completely isolated from all his troubles. For the first time in months, Izuku actually got a full night's rest. He wished it didn't come at the cost of his own health, but he knew his body needed it. He needed to recover from this as soon as possible, and come back even stronger.

He woke up to the feeling of the sun tickling his nose, followed by a sharp, numb pain in his shoulder. He winced for a brief moment, then stopped moving to prevent hurting himself further. It took him a solid minute to be able to fully open his eyes, and look around his room. Only the color white, which was sadly becoming a normal occurrence for him.

Suddenly, yesterday's events flooded his mind.

He remembered his fight with Overhaul, and the events that led to his current condition. He remembered Ochako crying and screaming over his limp body, and the words she spoke. He remembered how she came to see him before anyone else, and their awkward experience when they finally reunited.

This caused Izuku's face to become the color of a perfectly ripe tomato. All of the emotions he felt immediately rushed back into his heart. The complete astonishment he felt when he noticed how stunning Ochako was. The embarrassment he felt when she caught him staring, and the confusion he felt when she ran out of the room. The strongest of these feelings, however, hit him the hardest. His heart folded onto itself ten times over. Constricting and tangling like a mess of wires, like he had to get something out of his stomach, like he needed to confess something so embarrassing he couldn't even begin to comprehend what it could be. This feeling was the strongest he felt, yet the hardest to explain. Izuku had no idea what this feeling truly was, and he didn't have the foggiest idea of how to begin to relieve it. Izuku decided to just bury it inside his heart until he could get help from someone he knew was trustworthy with something like this.

"Deku, are you awake?"

The same ancient, rough voice from yesterday jolted Izuku out of his thoughts, and back to the room around him.

"A-Ah, yes sir! I just woke up!"

"We were starting to think you were going to sleep the day away. Glad you came back to us."

"U-Uh, what time is it, sir?"

"It's One Thirty in the afternoon. Your mother didn't want us to wake you, so we let you be. Sleep is the best thing for you right now, besides proper medical care."

' _One Thirty?! I've never slept this late! W-Wait, is today a school-day?! N-No way, I can't miss any more classes! I'm already three days behind because of my fight with Kacchan! This isn't good, what am I going to-'_

"Relax, son. It's a saturday. Your mother said that would be your first concern, so rest assured, you aren't missing anything. Now, we have Recovery Girl coming to visit in about an hour, so I'd prepare yourself If I were you. She didn't sound very happy when I brought up your name."

The Doctor has a look of pity on his face, with a mix of concern. Like he knows what the boy's in for when _she_ gets here.

Izuku instantly sunk into a pit of despair. What was Recovery Girl going to say to him this time? How long would the scolding be? He couldn't even begin to guess. But, he knew, as long as she would heal him, he'd be willing to deal with it. Despite this, Izuku honestly felt bad for how much of her time he's taken for himself.

' _She has such a useful quirk, and she could help so many people… and yet she spends so much time treating me. She could be helping heroes somewhere else, instead of taking care of my stupid self inflicted wounds. I may not have done it this time but… I don't think she'll care.'_

"Don't worry. I told her they weren't self inflicted this time. She started yelling a little less after that. Anyways, you had a guest come in earlier. You were sleeping, so he left you a letter on the table next to you. Once Recovery Girl is done with you, you'll be able to return home. I'll be back when she is nearby so you can prepare yourself ahead of time."

"T-Thank you, Doctor! For everything!"

"Just doing my job, Deku." The Doctor said as he left the room, leaving Izuku alone with his thoughts once more.

Izuku turned to the table that stood next to his hospital bed. On its surface sat 2 letters. One of them was neatly placed inside a plain white envelope, which had _"Izuku"_ written in black ink on the front. while the other was just a folded up piece of notebook paper tucked underneath the other letter. Next to both of the letters was a box wrapped in a white napkin. Izuku decided to open the neater letter first.

 _ **My Dear Little Izuku**_

 _I wanted to say goodbye when I had to leave for work, but you just looked so exhausted. I would have felt awful waking you up, so I left you this note instead. How are you feeling? Are the doctors taking care of you properly? Have your friends come to visit yet?_

Izuku had completely neglected the fact that no-one besides Ochako and his mother had come to visit him. He felt a pit in his stomach form, saddened that his friends seemingly didn't care enough to come visit. He kept reading.

 _I bet you're hungry. I don't know what kind of food they serve in hospitals, so I left you some Katsudon I bought from the restaurant across the street. Eat up! You'll need the energy to recover, and make sure to drink plenty of water. If you still feel uneasy or sick, please don't be afraid to take another day off. I'm sure your friends will understand. Take better care of yourself, Izuku. I love you, and am so proud of what you're doing, but I don't know how many more times I can withstand seeing you like this. Be sure to visit soon! I miss you. So much._

 _-Mom_

Izuku felt his heart tear a little. How could he be so reckless? He'd been so consumed by the thought of being a true hero that he forgot about how many times his mother could take his sacrifices. He'll have to apologize and promise to take better care of himself in the future. This hurt Izuku, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't let down All Might, or his friends.

Or Ochako.

Izuku then picked up the hastily written note that was folded up into squares that lie next to the wrapped katsudon.

 _ **Midoriya, my Boy!**_

It was from All Might!

 _I came to visit you so we could speak in person, but you looked so tired, so I decided to leave you this note instead. Midoriya, words cannot express how proud of you I am. You've come so far since I first met you, and you continue to surpass my expectations thousands of times over. And now look at what you've accomplished! Thanks to your heroic actions and initiative, Eri is now safe! While you were incapacitated, Ryukyu took her back to U.A, where she was healed of all her wounds. She is currently under the care of Naomasa Tsukauchi, who you've already met. She's been asking about you and young Mirio quite a lot. I'm sure she misses you both a great deal. However, there is one more matter that I must relay to you. It's about Nighteye._

Izuku's mind went blank. His stomach became a nest of dread and despair. He hesitantly continued reading.

 _Nighteye is still in critical condition, and the doctors are doing everything they can to try to save him. However, things are not looking good. He is not expected to survive. His wounds were grievous, and gruesome to look at. I am unsure as to if he will survive or not, but there is one thing you MUST understand. It is not your fault. Without you, Eri would still be in Overhaul's clutches, and Mirio would have been killed, instead of just having his quirk erased. You were a hero, and everyone needed you there. Especially Eri. And if you ask me, I truly believe Nighteye at least considered changing his mind about who I gave One for All to. You've done a great job, my boy. Keep up the good work._

 _-All Might!_

Tears slowly started to stain the page of All Might's letter. The hole in Izuku's stomach was gone, but he still felt empty.

' _Thank you, All Might, B-But… I could've done more. I could've done so much more. Maybe If I pushed myself to 25%, Nighteye would have never gotten hurt so bad. Maybe I would have been fast enough to stop Mirio from having his quirk erased… Maybe Mirio should have received One for All. None of this would have happened if you gave it to him.'_

Izuku was suddenly thrown into a pool of depression. The darkness in his mind kept broadcasting those horrible thoughts over and over again. But, somewhere deep down, Izuku began to feel disgusted with himself. How? How could he say these things to himself? After all, All Might himself chose HIM to become his successor. If he wasn't sure about it, he would have waited to see all of his options. But instead, All Might gave it to him on the spot just because he believed in him that much. So… he had to believe in himself too.

' _No. I can't think like that. He chose me! He gave me this power! He chose me for a reason, and it's up to me to ensure that I become the best I can be! What's done is done, and I can't undo the decision me and All Might made. I have to be the best I can, and I can't look back.'_

Izuku decided to hold on to these confident thoughts, and keep them for the future. He knew he'd doubt himself again, and that surprising jolt of confidence would be invaluable in those times. He brushed those dark thoughts off his shoulders, and reached for a black satchel containing his laptop his mom brought him the night before. Izuku spent the next hour reading the news and keeping an eye out for any new heroes or villains who made their debut while he was away. He completely lost track of time, and Recovery Girl came into his room right on time. Not a minute past before she scolded him about charging headfirst into a battle with pro-villains while only being a first year himself. But to his surprise, after a record breaking 3 minutes, she stopped yelling, and healed him silently. It took longer than usual, due to his deep cuts and a gaping hole in his shoulder. When she was done, she got up, and began to walk towards the door. Before leaving, however, she said something to Izuku that almost made him cry with joy on the spot.

"I don't like what you do, boy, but you've really made an impact this time. Whether I like it or not, your presence and your sacrifices ended up delivering the victory to the heroes. You did a good job. But don't let this go to your head! I'm not always going to be around to heal you, you know. Now, you should rest for a little while longer before heading out. Oh, and I found these waiting in the lobby when I walked in. Apparently, they followed me here."

That was their cue. Suddenly, over a dozen bodies crammed their way through the door, and proceeded to crowd Midoriya.

"MIDORIYA!"

Aoyama, Ashido, Asui, Iida, Ojiro, Kaminari, Koda, Sato, Shoji, Jiro, Sero, Tokoyami, Todoroki, Hagakure, Mineta, and Yaoyorozu all suddenly started swarming Izuku with praise and questions.

Ochako quietly entered last, seemingly waiting for something.

"Midoriya, that was an amazing fight, _Kero Kero."_ Said Tsuyu

"Midori! I heard what happened! You were so badass!" Said Ashido

"From what I've heard, you did quite the impressive job, Midoriya. Well done." Said Tokoyami

"Midoriya! You were AMAZING! You were so brave, and so strong!" Said Hagakure

"You didn't even eat any sugar and you managed to put a wallop on that creepy villain!" Said Sato.

"Midoriya, now that you're popular, I bet you won't have any problems with the gi-"

 _ **SMACK!**_

Tsuyu cut off Mineta with a firm tongue slap to the back of his head.

The whole group proceeded to talk. Mostly with the others asking Midoriya questions, and him answering. Questions like "How bad did it hurt?" Or "How did you feel going up against such a scary villain?" But Izuku's favorite comment by far was….

"Midoriya! We're all glad that you're ok! We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you! And as thanks for representing Class 1.A, we all pitched in to buy you this!" Iida said, who then proceeded to hand Midoriya a large wrapped box.

Izuku felt his eyes water.

"G-Guys… Y-You didn't h-h-have to get m-me-"

"Don't be such a downer, Midori! We're all super happy you're ok, and we all decided to get you this! Open it! Open it! I'm dying of suspense!" Mina said, jumping up and down, anxious to see his reaction.

Midoriya unwrapped the box, and his face went completely pale when he saw the words " _ **ALL MIGHT!"**_ in its full glory stamped on a thin plastic display box. He continued to unwrap, until he saw just what the gift was.

"N-N-NO W-WAY! Y-YOU G-GUYS! HOW DID Y-YOU?"

It was a collector's edition All Might action figure, in his signature costume. It was even signed by All Might himself! Izuku knew he could get a signature on whatever he wanted now, but that didn't change the pure collectiveness of the item!

"IT'S AMAZING! THANK YOU ALL! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!"

Izuku began to sob into his shirt, out of pure joy.

"It's no problem, Midoriya. Everyone knew instantly what to get you, but I managed to find this in a collector's toy store that's located right down the street from me. It wasn't cheap, but everyone pitched in. You're welcome." Todoroki said, out of his usual silent character.

After calming down, and wiping his face with his shirt, Midoriya noticed a few missing faces. Midoriya noticed Kirishima wasn't among them. Kirishima was one of the kids who were also in the raid on the Yakuza hideout….

"Where's Kirishima? Is he ok? Did anything happen to him?"

The room grew a little dim, but only a little.

"Kirishima is ok, Midoriya. He was hurt by a villain while he was fighting with Fatgum, but he's ok. He's going to make a full recovery." Iida said, with a hopeful look in his eye.

"I even heard he developed a new ability! Fatgum just went on and on about how amazing of a student he was and how incredible his new power was! He was so brave!" Mina said, excitedly swaying side to side with her hands clasped together.

"W-What about Kacchan? Where's he?"

"You're surprised he didn't show up? When we said we were going to visit you, he said he'd rather 'Drown in a freezing cold lake than visit that fucking nerd.' But when we passed by Kirishima's room, we saw Bakugo sitting next to him with his arms crossed looking up towards the ceiling." Ojiro said.

"He's got a soft spot for that guy. Even an idiot could see that." Todoroki said, obviously curious about the relationship between 'Lord Explosion Murder' and 'Red Riot.'

Everyone continued to talk for another few minutes, until they all decided that Midoriya needed some space and rest. One by one, the students of Class 1.A left their classmate with a goodbye. Until, once again, it was only Izuku and Ochako in the room.

"Hey Deku, how was the surprise?"

Wiping newly formed tears from his eyes, Midoriya barely managed to squeak out a response.

"I-It w-was a-amazing, U-Uraraka. T-Thank you."

"Really? The present was their idea, but I wanted to surprise you. When we found out Recovery Girl was coming to visit, I figured that would be the perfect opportunity for us to catch you off-guard. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Deku." Uraraka's face was beaming.

Again, Izuku found himself admiring every aspect of her. She looked even better in civilian clothes. She was wearing a bright pink blouse that gracefully sat on top of a frilly white top, with navy blue jeans and pink shoes. Once again, she was remarkably stunning. Izuku remembered the last time he stared at her like this, but he couldn't help himself. He was completely entranced with her image.

"U-U-Uhm… D-Deku?" Ochako obviously noticed Izuku was looking at her again, and her face was completely red.

Her words shocked Izuku right out of his trance, and he immediately sprang out of bed, and began furiously bowing over and over, while his face was a deep shade of crimson.

"URARAKAIAMSOSORRYIJUSTCOULDN'THELPMYSELFPLEASEDON'THATEME,I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'M-"

"Deku, breathe. I-It's ok."

Izuku slowly stopped bowing, but not before noticing something. Her reaction was different. Her face was deep red, but her voice was serious. Embarrased, but serious. Not to mention, she hasn't broken out into a full sprint yet.

"A-Actually, I wanted t-to talk to you. Thats w-why I waited for e-everyone else to leave. So I could a-ask you something."

Izuku's face lit up in an eruption of crimson.

"W-W-What d-d-did y-you w-want t-to a-ask m-me, U-Ura-rak-ka?"

"I… Well... "

' _She looks even more nervous than I am. She's so red too…'_

"I really really need to t-talk to you about some things… And we've never actually… spent time together, so… C-Could you… maybe… Uhm… I-If you w-want..."

"Urara-"

"Could you meet me at the Dagobah Minicipal beach park tomorrow?"

Complete silence. Izuku's mind began racing while his cheeks blared up to their maximum.

"Y-yes! Of course! I'd love to!" Izuku managed to spit out an entire sentence despite choking on his own spit.

"R-Really? You mean it? Thank you Deku, thank you so much! We'll have fun, I promise!"

' _WHAT'S GOING ON? IS THIS A PRANK? DID MINA PUT HER UP TO THIS? I BET MINA'S RECORDING US! THERE'S NO WAY SHE'S SERIOUS, IS SHE ACTUALLY?'_

"It used to be a garbage dump, but someone cleared it up a few months ago! Now it's a great spot for the public again!"

"O-Of course U-Uraraka, how c-could I s-say no?" Midoriya mindlessly blabbered.

"Thanks Deku, I'll set a time and I'll text you when we'll meet!"

"R-Right! S-Sounds good U-Uraraka! I'll s-see you there!"

Beaming like the sun, Ochako skipped out of the room.

"I can't wait Deku! Thanks again!" She said, before disappearing into the hallway.

Izuku's mind short-circuited. A million things were going through his head at once.

' _Did… did she just… ask me out on a…. Date?'_

Midoriya retired to his hospital bed and curled up into a ball, muttering to himself. Something about him being unlovable and being quirkless. This HAD to be a prank. There's no way Ochako, the source for all of his recent abnormal feelings would want to hang out! Just the two of them! Izuku relentlessly told himself over and over that this wasn't happening and Mina was surely to blame. But deep down, a part of him knew that this was real. This was actually happening. The cutest girl in school just asked him out on a date.

 **Author's Notes_**

Thank you so much for reading! I'd like to take some space in this chapter to thank each and every one of you for reading, favoriting, and following this story. I honestly never expected this story to become even mildly popular! Reading the reviews was heartwarming, and to see so many people enjoy my story enough to anticipate more is amazing. Sadly, the next chapter may not be out as quickly as this one due to some recent personal struggles, but I promise I'll update as regularly as possible! Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Romance and Heroics**

 **Spoilers for the Current Arc!**

Friday: 11:30 PM

Ochako could feel dark bags begin to take form under her eyes. Her mind had been racing ever since she ran out of Deku's hospital room. Her brain was desperately trying to correct itself, to alleviate the confusion it was being forced to experience. But her heart was much, much worse. The cage she kept her heart locked up in cried out for release, while twisting and contorting itself in an attempt to escape. She tried again to close her eyes, and think about something else. But, the only color she could see was green. Ochako tried desperately to shift her thoughts to something else, but she'd always find herself gravitating back towards _him._ Clutching her chest, breathing deeply, and slamming her eyelids down, Ochako begged for sleep to come.

But it never did.

At least, not yet. She couldn't possibly drift off to sleep while her heart and brain were waging an all out war on eachother. She tried to dismiss and excuse her feelings for Izuku with thoughts.

' _There's no way someone as amazing as Deku would ever have feelings for someone like me…'_

' _It's impossible for Love and Hero-work to co-exist. There's no way that it could!'_

' _I don't even know it's love. I could just have a small little crush… it will pass!'_

Her heart immediately called her out on her lie.

' _No… I do have feelings for him. Very strong feelings… I've never cared for someone so much.'_

' _I can't stop thinking about him! Everything reminds me of him.'_

' _Every time I see his goofy smile, his messy green hair, his emerald green eyes, my mind goes blank and my heart just goes crazy…'_

' _And the way he gets so determined and masculine when he's in a fight, or when someone's in danger… he's the greatest person I've ever met.'_

She couldn't take it anymore. She had no idea what to do with these feelings, but she HAD to know. She couldn't bear the thought of keeping her heart confined like this for the rest of her academic career anymore. She can't focus on anything else whenever he's around. These feelings are starting to threaten her hero work, so she has to rid herself of this burden one way or another. She may be a hero in training, but she's still a teenage girl. However, Ochako had no idea how to set these feelings aside, or how to confess to Midoriya.

' _If only he didn't look at me like that! Then I would've been able to keep these feelings hidden… but now I know there's a chance he could like me too! Oh, what should I do? I don't know for sure if he does, and I don't even know if I can balance a relationship with hero work…'_

It was late, so she couldn't go see the person she knew could answer the part about the mingling of Romance and Heroics, but who could she confess her feelings to? Someone she could trust enough to keep her secret and give her good advice.

' _Tsuyu. I could tell Tsuyu! She's my best friend! Next to Deku of course. Though, I doubt she's awake. I'd really hate to bother her at this hour, so maybe I should wait until tomorrow. Yeah! I can get through tonight now! I'll tell her tomorrow and ask for advice!'_

Ochako's mind and heart were still active with thoughts of her best friend, but she felt like she could get through the night knowing that her burden will be lightened tomorrow. Feeling like her struggle is almost over, Ochako decided to get a glass of water from downstairs to refresh herself, hopefully being the last push she needed to fall asleep.

Ochako made sure to tip-toe down the stairs, through the hallways, and in the kitchen to make sure she didn't wake any of the other girls up. Feeling her way through the kitchen, since she left the lights off, she stumbled her way over to the glass cabinet. She fumbled around for the handle, but she suddenly noticed that the TV in the girl's living room was on with the volume set extremely low. Ochako poked her head into the doorframe to see who else could be up this late, only to see Tsuyu lying on the couch watching a nature documentary about African bull-frogs.

"Asui?"

Tsuyu's head perked up from the couch, and looked towards the clearly tired, but troubled voice.

"Ochako? What are you doing up this late? _Ribbit."_

"I could ask you the same thing!"

Both girls started to giggle, and Ochako sat next to her friend.

"I see you're really into these frogs. I mean, it makes sense." Ochako let out a small giggle.

"Yeah, _ribbit._ Whenever I can't sleep well, I come down here and watch something frog related. That usually calms me down enough to go back to sleep."

Tsuyu looked towards Uraraka. She could tell her friend was deeply troubled by something. And she had a pretty good idea of what that was.

"But seriously Ochako, you don't usually stay up this late. Is something bothering you?"

' _I was going to wait until tomorrow, but this seems better. Nobody's listening, and everyone's asleep, so now's probably the best time.'_

Ochako took a deep breath, and prepared herself to finally show her heart to someone. It wasn't Deku, the person she really wanted to show it to, but it was still a huge relief.

"It's about Midoriya, isn't it? _"_

Ochako's face flared, and she looked down to her lap and buried her head in her hands. She couldn't manage to form words, so all she could do was slowly nod her head.

"I figured. It's not like it isn't obvious, you know."

Tsuyu knew exactly what was going on. She knew she had feelings for Deku, and that she was trying her best to keep those feelings bottled up so she wouldn't endanger their careers, and something happened while she was visiting Izuku in the hospital to awaken these feelings again. However, Tsuyu knew it would be best for Ochako to confess these things herself instead Tsuyu telling her she already knows.

"So, what about him? _Ribbit."_

"W-Well, I actually really wanted to talk to you about it. You're r-really the only person besides him and Iida that I can trust."

She braced herself one last time before finally revealing the truth to someone.

"I… I have feelings for Deku. Really, really strong feelings for him. Not a crush, but something more. A-And I've been trying to keep them locked up because… I don't want to distract him from being a hero. He's going to be one of the greatest heroes ever, if not the best. I'd feel horrible if I took that dream away from him just because of something so selfish."

Ochako felt a great weight lift off of her shoulders. Yet, something told her that she wasn't done. There was another reason for her keeping her feelings to herself. Something a lot more personal.

"A-And also… I'm scared of being rejected by him. Horrified, even. W-What if he doesn't want to be my friend anymore after I confess to him?"

She was so busy confessing that she didn't notice the stream of tears that began staining her shirt. Her mind went blank, and without thinking, blurted out the rest of her feelings.

"He's just so amazing and kind and brave and strong and passionate and… I don't know what I'd do without him. I wouldn't be this strong or determined if it wasn't for him constantly inspiring me to be the best that I can be. How could I not fall for him?"

That last sentence hit her like a truck. She didn't just have normal romantic feelings for Midoriya.

She loved him.

"Ochako, it's pretty obvious what you have to do."

"H-Huh?" Uraraka said while wiping her tears from her cheeks.

"You have to tell him, _ribbit._ It's clear that you've been hiding all of that for a long time, and it hurts you a lot just to keep it locked away. You might be a U.A student, but you're still a girl."

"B-But what if he rejects me? What if I can't balance our relationship with my studies? What if-"

"Ochako, stop it. It's unhealthy for you to ignore these feelings. About him rejecting you, I HIGHLY doubt that would happen. It's painfully obvious that he has a crush on you too."

"E-Eh?!" Ochako's face was threatening to become purple.

"Just the way he acts around you gives it away. Sure, he stutters a lot around girls, but it's especially bad when it's with you. Not to mention, I always notice that he glances at you every now and then during class when you're focused on something. Whenever he does this, he gets a look in his eye that I've never seen before. I wouldn't be scared about rejection at all, Ochako. _Ribbit Ribbit."_

Uraraka just looked at Tsuyu in shock. Her cheeks dimmed a little, and she felt her heart flutter like never before.

' _He… he looks at me during class too? With that same look in his eye that I noticed in the hospital?'_

"But with the whole balancing love and school thing, I can't be sure. I don't know if there's an actual rule against it, but I've never heard of one. I'd recommend going to a pro about that and see what they have to say about it."

"Y-Yeah, I guess it would be best to ask a pro about that. But… Thank you Asui. Thank you so much. It feels great to finally tell someone. I think I'm starting to understand what I need to do."

"You're welcome, Ochako. We're friends, aren't we? It's what friends do. Now if you plan on going to visit Midoriya again tomorrow, you should probably go to bed. _Ribbit."_

"Y-Yeah, you're right. I'm exhausted. I'm going to try to go back to bed. Thanks again, Asui. You're the best."

Tsuyu brought her friend into a hug.

"If you need any more help, don't hesitate to ask. _Ribbit._ We're friends, after all. _"_

"I will, Asui. Thank you."

Ochako got up from the couch, got her glass of water, and headed back up to bed.

' _My head feels a lot better, but my heart still feels all… messed up. I guess it won't stop until I… actually tell Deku how I feel.'_

However, with her mind finally at ease, Ochako was finally able to relax enough to find that one perfect comfort spot, and at long last, fall asleep.

Fast forward to the following day, around noon…

Ochako found herself in front of a solid door with a nameplate screwed onto the front. She recognized this door quite easily, as she spent a week as an intern here. She knocked on the door, and after she heard his adorable "Yes! Come on in!" she let herself in.

"Oh! Uravity! What a pleasant surprise! Long time no see!" Said the rather large man, sat behind a large office desk.

"Gunhead! It's so nice to see you! How are things?"

"Oh, you know, more paperwork than saving people these days. But what about you? How's class going?"

"It's been going good! I passed my final exam, went on a school trip, and did another internship with the pro hero Ryukyu."

"Ah, I heard all about that school trip. I'm sorry you and your friends had to go through that. But, I'm glad that our time together helped you get out alive!"

"Y-Yeah, it was an… experience to say the least."

"I bet. Now, I take it you're not here just to socialize. Is something troubling you?"

"Actually, I came here to ask you a question about being a student at a Hero University like U.A."

Ochako took a deep breath.

"Is there… any room in hero work for… romance?"

Gunhead looked surprised. Then, Gunhead remembered that phone call his intern had with a boy right before their combat training one day.

"Oho! Is your boyfriend I heard over the phone while you were here giving you trouble?"

Ochako's face erupted like a volcano.

"N-No! It's nothing l-like that! That's n-not it! I swear!"

She knew she somewhat lying, but she couldn't just outright tell someone like Gunhead that she was indeed having boy trouble. She'd die from embarrassment on the spot.

"Hoho, if you say so. But to answer your question, yes. There absolutely is room in heroics for love to blossom! Why, if it wasn't for heroics in the first place, I would have never met my beloved wife!"

Ochako couldn't help but gasp. Gunhead never wears a ring, and he's never stated before that he's in a relationship, let alone married. Gunhead noticed her shock.

"I don't wear my ring because if it gets caught on anything while I'm working, my finger will come off with it! Wearing jewelry during hero work is dangerous. Plus, I like to keep my professional life separate from my private life."

Gunhead opened his desk drawer, and pulled out a picture framed in a beautiful stainless steel frame. He handed it to Uraraka, who was taken aback by the image of Gunhead without his mask.

"This is my beloved! Isn't she stunning? I met her while we were both in the same class. She seemed to think I was cute for whatever reason, so she decided to ask me out one weekend after training. We've been together ever since!"

' _H-He met his wife through hero school? That's so cute! Highschool sweethearts!'_

"So, to answer your question Uravity, there's all the room in the world for romance in the workplace. As long as you're careful, it can actually be quite beneficial for the two partners. Just take me and my beloved as an example! After we became a couple, our cooperation and teamwork skills skyrocketed! We became inseparable, and became the perfect team!"

Ochako was near tears. She was almost positive that his answer would immediately be no. The relief she felt when she heard this was indescribable.

"If you choose the right person, and you promise to make things work no matter what, relationships can be just as important and beneficial to a hero as friendships. Let me ask you this, Uravity. If friendships are not only recommended, but borderline required to a hero, why can't relationships?"

Ochako felt as if her brain had finally returned to how it was before she developed feelings for Midoriya. Clear of all the fog, she finally understood what she had to do.

Gunhead saw the tears forming in her eyes. Gunhead smiled underneath his mask, and got up from his desk. He walked around to where Uraraka was, and brought her into a hug.

"Just follow your heart, Uravity. Being a hero isn't worth giving up your humanity."

"T-Thank you, Gunhead. Really. You've helped me more than you know." She said while letting go of Gunhead's surprisingly tender embrace.

"Do you know what you have to do now, Uraraka?"

"I think I already knew, but now I know for sure! I just have to follow my heart! Thank you, Gunhead.." Ochako said, quickly rising from her seat.

"Anytime, Uravity. My door's always open. Oh, and tell Deku I said hi, would you?"

Uraraka wanted to blush and get upset with Gunhead for teasing her so much, but she was already halfway out of the door.

' _Izuku should still be in the hospital. We'll all go into his room together as planned, but I'll wait for him to be alone to ask him to go to that beach park with me tomorrow.'_

Uraraka pranced out to the street, outside of Gunhead's hero division, and set off to meet everyone in the hospital lobby, to finalize the plan of surprising Deku.

Author's Notes

 _Thank you for reading! I apologize if this chapter seems a little bit different from the others, but with all that's been happening to me lately I've been feeling very drained. I know this isn't a very valid excuse, but you all deserve to know why this chapter may seem a bit off. Or not, It could just be me. Thanks again for viewing! I'll see you next chapter!_


	4. Chapter 4

Romance and Heroics

Spoilers for the Current Arc!

" _Could you meet me at the Dagobah Minicipal beach park tomorrow?"_

" _R-Really? You mean it? Thank you Deku, thank you so much! We'll have fun, I promise!"_

" _Thanks Deku, I'll set a time and I'll text you when we'll meet!"_

These thoughts replayed themselves inside Midoriya's mind like a broken record. Over and over again, the boy replayed the conversation he had with his best friend just over ten minutes ago. Each time he remembered her words, her angel like voice, and her stunning beauty, his heart felt weightless. At first, Midoriya was embarrassed. So embarrassed, he was unconsolable. The same feelings that had been torturing his poor heart began to work double time, and he couldn't think about anything else but her. No matter how hard he tried, his mind always brought itself back to Ochako. How amazing she was, how cute she was, and how great of a hero she was. Yet, the more he thought about her and the more he replayed their adorably awkward conversation, the more he began to enjoy it. Remembering her words started to warm his heart instead of cause it to halt. Izuku felt a smirk creep its way onto his face, and his cheeks began to simmer down to a much lower, but still very clear blush. Instead of embarrassment, he once again felt his heart struggle with that same nameless feeling he experienced when he noticed Uraraka's absolute beauty for the first time the night before.

' _What IS this feeling? It's like my heart is trying to wriggle its way out of a bear trap…'_

Midoriya struggled with his feelings for a few minutes more, trying to understand them and help alleviate them. Yet, no matter how many notes he scribbled down, he just couldn't wrap his head around it.

' _I still think I should speak to All Might about this… feeling. He'll know what it is! And, if there's e-even a chance that Ochako really d-does feel that w-way about me... And this isn't a cruel prank by Mina, Then i'll ask him if there's a rule against relationships in heroics. Otherwise, this will just keep eating at me…'_

Knowing that he could be at this all day, he decided to get up from his bed and begin getting ready to finally leave the hospital. Thanks to his mother bringing him a change of clothes, Izuku was now dressed in his favorite All Might Tshirt, green cargo pants, his trademark red sneakers, and a brand new cast around his right arm. Unlike his other casts that he's received from recovery girl though, it was covered in signatures from everyone in class 1-A. Izuku started to tear up, and chuckled when he remembered everyone scrambling to get the best spots on his cast to sign.

' _I'm so thankful for everyone… it feels so great to have so many friends. They're all amazing, and way better heroes than I am…'_

He sighed.

' _How did I go from being a bullied useless quirkless loser to being an aspiring hero with so many people who care about me?'_

' _How did I get so lucky?'_

Izuku could feel his fresh new batch of joyful tears bounce on his new cast. Not wanting to smudge any of the signatures, he quickly wiped the tears from his eyes with his left hand, and began to pack everything he had on him when he was admitted. That only being his now tattered costume, his wallet, his keys, and his phone. And of course, his new All Might collectable.

' _Oh, right! I haven't checked my phone once since I got here!'_

Izuku quickly fumbled around the pockets of his hero costume for his cellphone, and quickly unlocked it. He only had a handful of messages, and a missed phone call.

' _No messages or calls from any of my classmates. Probably didn't want to ruin the surprise Ochako put together. She's so amazing…'_

He had text messages from 2 people. The first, was from All Might.

' _He must've sent it this morning while I was still asleep.'_

'Yo! Young Midoriya! I forgot to jot down one thought on my note. Just reminding you to take it easy on your training. You may be my successor, but you can't train while you're injured! Take the weekend off, my boy! You've earned it! Oh, and if you haven't checked already, I left a note for you on the table next to your bed. Just incase you're the type of kid to check his phone as soon as you wake up. Great job, my young successor! I'll see you soon!'

The thought of missing even a single day's worth of training irritated Izuku to no end, but he knew it was probably for the best. There isn't a point to training if your body can't handle the strain, so All Might was right.

The second message was from his mother, about an hour ago.

' _Mom must've sent this shortly after I woke up.'_

'The doctor called and told me that you're awake! I'll come by to pick you up after Recovery Girl has taken care of you in an hour. I'll see you then! Love, mom.'

' _Mom could be here any second! I better hurry and finish getting my things ready.'_

As quickly as he could, Izuku grabbed the few items he had with his good arm and quickly hurried out of his door. He quickly made his way through the halls, and was about to exit the building through the main door… until he remembered Nighteye and Mirio.

' _I've been so caught up in my selfish feelings that I completely forgot they were here too!'_

He'd have to kick himself for being so selfish later. Right now, all he could think about was finding their rooms and seeing how they were doing. Izuku made his way to the front desk, and inquired about them.

"H-Hi, my name is Izuku Midoriya. I was with the heroes Nighteye and Lemillion. Are they here? And, if so, could I see them?"

The nurse looked at Deku with confusion, until they lit up with familiarity.

"Oh, you're that green haired boy who was taken in here last night. Deku, right?"

"Y-Yes, that's me."

"I'm afraid that neither of them are here right now. Their wounds were far too severe for our doctors to handle, so they were sent to the best hospital in all of Japan. The best of the best are employed there, and most of them have incredible healing quirks, so I wouldn't be too worried about them. Well, at least Lemillion. Nighteye on the other hand, he was on the brink of death when he arrived here. I can't say for sure how he's holding up."

Izuku's heart sank at the news. He wasn't expecting to be able to visit Nighteye with how serious All Might made his wounds seem, but he at least hoped to see Mirio before he left.

"A-Ah, I see. Thank you. I'll be going now."

"Have a nice day, and get better soon. We thank you for your sacrifice and courage, Deku."

Midoriya blushed at the sudden praise.

"W-Well, it was n-nothing, so please, I don't deserve s-so much praise! I was just d-doing my duty as a h-hero! Thank y-you!"

Disappointed, but satisfied he did all he could, Izuku left the building to see his mother pulled up on the curb, patiently waiting for him.

"Izuku! Over here! I brought food!"

He could smell it from here. Freshly made Tempura. His absolute favorite! Besides Katsudon.

Izuku opened the door, and sat next to his mother, who quickly pulled out from the curb and began their drive home. The whole way back to their house, Izuku stuffed his face with the delicious home cooked meal, all the while talking to his mother about the heart warming gesture his friends showed him.

"Yeah! They all piled into the room together and surprised me! We talked for what seemed like hours, mostly me telling them the story about what happened with the villains. They even got me this!"

Izuku showed his mother the mint condition All Might action figure his friends had gotten him. And, upon seeing how happy her son was, Inko began furiously crying.

"OOH MY SWEET BABY IZUKU HAS SO MANY FRIENDS WHO LOVE HIM AND CARE ABOUT HIM! YOU'RE GROWING UP SO FAST! I'M SO HAPPY YOU AREN'T BEING MISTREATED ANYMORE!"

"Mom! Mom! It's ok! They're all so nice to me! I'm not being bullied anymore. I'm the happiest I've ever been, honest!"

Inko began crying even more. Izuku started to worry about her crying so much while driving, but he knew that once she started crying, she wouldn't stop until she got it all out. So, he tightened his seat belt and prayed to All Might that his mother could somehow still see through her screen of tears. Fortunately, his mother had plenty of experience driving while crying, so she was able to get themselves home safely. She even drove better while her eyes were buried underneath tears, almost like makeshift glasses.

Patiently awaiting to be reunited with his childhood home, Izuku's mind wandered while his mother was focused on her crying.

' _Eri. I need to see her again, to check up on her. According to All Might, she's been asking about me and Mirio a lot. I'll go visit her during the week, since Ochako has all of my attention tomorrow.'_

"I-Izuku, we're home!" Inko said, finally wiping the tears from her eyes.

Midoriya was glad to be back home. Even though it was only for the night, he couldn't have chosen a better place to rest and recover from his injuries. He spent his whole day texting his friends, talking with Ochako over the phone, watching the news, and researching any new heroes that emerged that day. Izuku was deep within a new article about a rookie hero who saved a group of kids from a villain. What caught his interest though, was his quirk.

"Butterman? The Breakfast hero? Hm… this is definitely new. His quirk revolves around him secreting butter from his pores and flinging it at his enemies. It's definitely the first food oriented quirk I've heard of, besides LunchRush, so I guess it's notebook worthy."

'A PHONE CALL IS HERE!'

Izuku jumped from his seat, startled by the sudden noise coming from his phone. Midoriya only had one contact with that ringtone. All Might was calling!

"H-Hello? All Might?"

"Midoriya, my boy! Just checking in to see how you're doing! How goes the recovery?"

"J-Just fine, All Might! Being back home with my mother has really helped. I feel like my nerves have finally calmed down."

"Excellent. It's good to hear that you're doing better. And that you're still able to form sentences. I heard about what you did against Overhaul."

' _Oh, right. With Eri's quirk, I was able to withstand One for All Full Cowl 100% for the last battle. Her quirk prevented me from being hurt too much, but she slipped off my back and forced me to go back to 20% at the last second. Overhaul saw that, and that's how he broke my arm. And impaled my shoulder.'_

"Young Uraraka told me about your transformation. Your hair spiked up, your eyes streamed with a font of green fire. Your clothes sparked with even more emerald flames, and your _power._ Every hero I spoke to who witnessed the last moments of your final battle with Overhaul couldn't comprehend the amount of power you displayed. They even compared you to me!"

Izuku couldn't help but blush violently with that last comment. Him? Being compared to his idol by pro heroes?

"What was that, Midoriya? What did you do?"

"I… uh… Might've been able to use One For All Full Cowling at it's maximum 100% with Eri's help."

"FFFFFTHHBBBBBT!"

Izuku knew that sound all too well. The sound of projectile mouth bleeding.

"You… You WHAT? You were able to use One For All at its maximum?! That's absolutely unbelievable Midoriya! How did it feel?"

"I really can't explain it. I think whatever I would have felt by using it was overshadowed by constantly being healed by Eri's quirk, which felt like I was engulfed in a warm fire. Whenever I landed a hit though, I felt the ground beneath my feet tremble and the sky itself quake. It was unbelievable!"

"I know, right?! That's the same feeling I got when I finally reached my prime! As for the feeling of maintaining it, I don't want to spoil that feeling for you. But, it's absolutely incredible when you feel it for the first time! Keep in mind Midoriya, that someday, you'll be able to use that power whenever you want! Without anyone's help! Not to mention, I guarantee the power you used wasn't the true maximum of one for all in the slightest!"

"W-WHAT? You mean, I could get even stronger than that?"

"FAR beyond that, my boy! Look at it this way. Your 100% full cowl was only the maximum of what you're capable of as of right now. But, If you keep training, and keep using One For All frequently, your maximum potential will continue to increase, allowing you to pull upon even more power! And with how One for All works, it's almost guaranteed that you'll become even stronger than I was in my prime!"

Izuku could barely manage to construct a sentence. All this talk about a future that used to be nothing but a fantasy in his mind was now being spoken of like it was not only possible, but expected!

"Y-Y-You really think so, All Might?"

"I know so, my boy! You've already come so far, in such a short amount of time! I know you can do it!"

Deku felt his heart clench. How? How did he go from being a quirkless loser one year to being one of the most promising students in U.A the next? Not to mention, the successor of the one and only Symbol of Peace! His mind began to replay all of the highlights of his journey to becoming the next Number 1 hero. From punching the giant 0 pointer in the Entrance Exam. to facing off against Bakugo and finally overcoming his fear of him. Saving All Might from Shigaraki after he was depleted from his fight with Noumu, to facing off against Todoroki in the Sports Festival. Training with Gran Torino and discovering Full Cowl, and defeating the Hero Killer Stain alongside Todoroki and Iida. Teaming up with Bakugo to face off against All Might himself for his final exam, and saving Kota and defeating Muscular. Witnessing All Might clash with All For One for the second time, and obtaining his Provisional Hero License. And lastly, interning with Nighteye, and saving Eri from Overhaul. After he was done remembering his story up to this point, he immediately found himself isolating one person in his mind. The one who was almost as pivotal to his success as All Might himself.

He remembered her saving him from tripping on his first day of Highschool. He remembered saving her from the 0 pointer in the Entrance Exam. How she tried to offer him some of her points after she learned he scored a grand total of 0 after spending all of his energy saving her. He remembered the look of amazement she had on her face when he flicked a softball over 700 meters with his quirk. How she was the only one to immediately recognize him when he first showed his classmates his hero costume. And of course, he remembered her costume. She was the first one to volunteer to be his partner, despite knowing his head was worth 10 million points. The jealous looks she gave Mei whenever she was around. How she ran away from him at the mall with a very obvious blush. How she sacrificed her shirt to try to ease his wounds after his fight with muscular. And, of course, his favorite memory. She was the one to change the name Deku. From a name bullies would call him to make him feel worthless and useless, to the name of a proud hero who was worthy of succeeding All Might. Someone who would never, ever give up.

The feeling Izuku was beginning to grow annoyed with once more crept its way into his heart.

"Midoriya? Are you there? Hello?"

The voice of his hero snapped him out of his trance.

"Y-Yes! All Might, I'm still here! Sorry about that!"

"Muttering to yourself again, are you? We still have to work on that. And the waterworks. Anyway, I'm glad I was able to speak with you my boy! I hope that you have a great nig-"

"Um, All Might?"

Izuku couldn't help but feel selfish and rude for interrupting him, but it was now or never.

"Oh, yes my boy? Something else troubling you?"

"It… would be best to speak in person. Could you meet me at the beach in a few minutes?"

"Oh, uh, alright. If it will help clear your head, then gladly. I'll be there shortly."

"Thanks, All Might."

"No problem, Midoriya. See you soon."

*Click*

All Might was the only one he could think of when he admitted he needed advice on this… feeling. This nameless emotion that was ensnaring his heart like a noose and clouding his mind like a fog. Whenever he thought about her, his body felt weightless and warm, and he couldn't focus on anything else. All Might would know what this feeling was. And, If Ochako's invitation to a date somehow wasn't a prank set up by someone like Mina or Kaminari, he had to know if there was even remotely a chance that romance could blossom. The line of heroics was fraught with peril and danger, so was it even possible for relationships to thrive? He had to know before he could face Ochako, ESPECIALLY if it was what he thought it was. A date.

Izuku changed out of his All Might tshirt and into a plain green striped flannel, to spare himself from the embarrassment of showing his idol that he really was a giant fanboy. Any more than he already has, anyway. He told his mom that he was going to see All Might, and after explaining that it wasn't for training, left his home through the front door.

Izuku sat at the shoreline of the beach, staring off into the night sky. The moon was full, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The moon illuminated the water a fair deal, and the entire beach was drenched in moonlight. He looked around, admiring what the beach had become and taking pride that this was all because of his training. The beach was now littered with vendor booths. Food, clothing, jewelry and art were just a few of the new stalls that were now set up along the beginning of the beach. A ferris wheel now sat where an especially large mountain of garbage used to be, and a boardwalk now lined the shoreline. Ochako was right, this place really took a turn for the better.

"Hey, Midoriya! I am here!"

Izuku swung his head around, and upon seeing All Might dressed in the same black overcoat and scarf that he wore on his last day of training, sprang up and greeted his idol.

"All Might! Thanks for coming. I'm sorry I called you out here so late, but-"

"Midoriya, it's all right. You never request to see me like this, so I figured it must be important. So, what's on your mind?"

Izuku prepared himself. He strained his nerves and hesitantly, finally poured his heart out to someone willing to listen.

"W-Well… There's this strange feeling I've had since my first night at the hospital. I don't know what it is, but… it's really bothering me."

All Might just assumed it was guilt for not being fast enough to save Mirio's quirk, or save Nighteye.

"My boy, there's nothing to feel guilty about. None of what happened was your-"

"That's not it, All Might. Thanks to your letter, I don't feel as guilty anymore. Actually, It's a feeling I've never felt before. Like my heart is ensnared in barbed wire and my mind is shrouded in a fog."

All Might's heart clenched.

"I-I started feeling this way when Uraraka came to visit m-me in the hospital. It was when I started s-staring at her that my h-heart started feeling this way. Now, whenever I think about h-her… my mind goes all f-fuzzy and my heart starts hurting. Y-Yet… my body feels warm and weightless. I don't know w-what this feeling is, and… I don't know how to stop it. And… I was hoping you could tell me what it was."

All Might was gobsmacked. How? How could his precious cinnamon roll fall in love? How could his ultimate fanboy fall completely head over heels for someone? And more importantly, how could he not realize she felt the exact same way about him? If it was obvious to All Might, then it SHOULD be obvious to everyone! He thought that MAYBE it would be obvious to Midoriya if it was to him. They are a lot alike, after all. All Might knew Izuku was dense, but he didn't think it was this bad.

"A-And it got even w-worse after sh-she asked me out…"

All Might felt like fainting. He almost did after he heard what his successor said next.

"...On a date. And… I'm starting to t-think she likes me… romantically."

HE DID REALIZE IT! All Might was amazed that ANYTHING related to love actually got through his head. He thought for sure that Izuku would just brush it off like it was impossible, or that she could do much better than him.

"S-So… I really don't know w-what to do. First and foremost, I n-need to know what this feeling is so I can s-stop focusing on it so much. I'm afraid it's going to s-start hindering my hero work once school starts back up again. Do you have any idea w-what it could be, All Might?"

All Might couldn't help but feel overjoyed that Midoriya would come to him for advice on love. He knew he had a real father, but… he treasured him like a son. And to think that Izuku could think of him as a father figure, Toshinori was ecstatic.

"W-Well, I don't know If I'm the best person to talk to about this, but… My boy, it sounds like you're in love."

Izuku's heart exploded. Every inch of skin on his body erupted in a dark shade of red, and his entire body froze. All he could do was look at All Might with a shocked expression.

"It feels like your heart is trapped, and you really want to find a way to let it out, right?"

Midoriya said nothing, but he somehow found the nerve to slowly nod.

"Yep, that's love, alright. You're head over heels for her, my boy."

"W-W-WHO ARE Y-YOU TALKING AB-ABOUT, ALL MIGHT?"

"Don't play dumb, my boy. Young Uraraka of course! It's obvious just by the way you talk about her! Not to mention, don't think I don't notice the glances you give her during my lectures every now and then!"

Izuku's skin turned purple, and he had to force himself to not huddle up in a ball and roll back home.

"Ah, young love. Such an important part of a young man's life. Don't be embarrassed about it, my boy. Every man has been in your shoes before."

He managed to calm down, and was able to form sentences again.

"S-So… are you sure? That this f-feeling… is love?"

"Positive, my boy. Without a shadow of a doubt. Now, knowing you, I bet you're all worried about rejection, right?"

"Y-Yes… I mean, how could someone as amazing as Uraraka ever even-"

"Stop, my boy. I'm confident that she has a giant crush on you too."

Again, Izuku turned purple. However, he was unsuccessful in talking himself out of retreating to the turtle position. All Might quickly picked him back up on his feet.

"Isn't it obvious? Just the way she looks at you when you're in class, or on the front lines gives it away! She gets this sparkle in her eye whenever she looks at you! The same look that you get in your eyes when you stare at her! Not to mention, whenever I speak to her about class, she ALWAYS finds a way to bring you into the conversation! When I ask her about your relationship, she never fails to fluster, and immediately change the subject. I'm POSITIVE she has feelings for you too, my boy!"

Izuku's blush was completely gone, and he found himself gazing at All Might's determined expression in awe.

' _She looks at me like that too? And she talks about me? And All Might believes she has feelings for me too? Is this really possible? I don't know… but I still have to ask All Might about if l-love and heroics mingling is at all possible. Which, since All Might has never shown interest at all in love, I highly doubt…'_

"Y-You really think so, All Might?"

"I do, my boy. I really do." Toshinori put his hand on Izuku's shoulder, and reassured him with a determined look on his face.

"B-But… is it possible for l-love to even exist in this kind of environment? I mean… I've never heard you talk about l-love before. I never see you with any girls, and I've never heard you talk about anyone special to you before."

All Might's heart seized. His mind was immediately bombarded with the memories of his youth, and the memory he's tried so hard to bury in the back of his mind resurfaced with this question.

"A-All Might? Are you ok?"

Toshinori's eyes shot open, only to realize he was sweating profusely.

"Y-Yes, my boy, I'm… I'm alright. Just… some painful memories is all."

All Might looked at Izuku, who now wore a worried expression. He felt bad for making his pupil worry by seeing his idol show such weakness.

"To answer your question Midoriya, yes. Love can, and most likely will blossom on the battlefield. It's happened before, and it will happen again. Time, and time again. I guarantee that you and Uraraka aren't the only ones growing close to each other, either."

"T-Then why don't you have someone, All Might? You could have anyone! You're the symbol of peace!"

All Might shuddered as the memories once again flashed in his mind.

"O-Oh, I'm so sorry All Might, I didn't mean to pry. We don't have to talk about it anymore if you don't-"

"It's fine, my boy. Sit. I was planning on telling you this story eventually, anyway."

All Might sat down on the sand, looking out over the sea, still gleaming with moonlight. He looked at Midoriya, and patted the sand next to him. Izuku sat next to him, and he began telling Midoriya the story.

"It was about a year before my big debut. I was a lone hero, who didn't belong to an agency like most rookie heroes did. I spent most of my time continuing to train with Gran Torino, despite already having near perfect control of One for All. I managed to find some free time after a really long day of training, so I decided to pick up a hot chocolate from a local cafe. I bought my drink, sat at the window for a little bit, and left. Yet, a moment after I left the cafe, I accidentally bumped into someone. Me being the giant I was, I barely moved while they landed pretty hard on the ground. I apologized, helped them up, and bowed. I was never prepared to have my heart explode when I looked up. I ran into a woman a little older than I was, a few years maybe. She was absolutely stunning. Her hair was an emerald green, and her eyes burned with the same shade of green. Her figure was sleek and stunning, and she had the look of an angel. Now that I think about it, she looked a lot like you, my boy. Anyways, that was the first time I ever fell in love."

Izuku was entranced by his mentor's story. He never considered All Might being the romantic type.

"Funny enough, she apologized too. Saying how it was her fault, that she wasn't paying attention, when It was me who walked right into her. Her voice was smooth as silk, too. I could listen to it forever."

All Might now wore a blush, something Midoriya has never seen before. He continued to listen, mesmerized.

"After a few more apologies, I offered to buy her some coffee, which she gladly accepted. We ended up talking all night. And, I ended up with her phone number. We planned a date for the following day, to meet at the exact same spot where we bumped into each other. I went home, and didn't get a wink of sleep, despite how tired I was. I couldn't stop thinking about her. I tried focusing on my training, or my future as a hero, but my thoughts always shifted back on her. My heart felt like it was encased in a dozen chains, begging me to let it out. And, thanks to Gran Torino for some surprisingly out of character advice, I knew that going on this date would be the only way to set my heart free."

Izuku couldn't help but flinch at those words. His situation almost mirrored his.

' _Maybe coming here with Uraraka tomorrow could help alleviate my heart too. That's not the only reason i'm going, obviously, i'm not that selfish…'_

"We met at around the same time the next day, in the same spot. We got coffee, and set out for the town to find something fun to do. We went to the arcade, a karaoke bar, which I KILL at, by the way. We saw a movie, and we went Ice Skating. I had the best time of my life, and she did too. We wouldn't stop sharing our thoughts on how much fun we were having. She'd slip and fall occasionally, but I'd always be close by to sweep her back up on her feet. Kinda like you and Uraraka, we both blushed a lot throughout the night. For the last stop of the night, we visited a mall. We went shopping for comics for both of us, clothes for her, training equipment for me, until we finally stopped by a jewelry store. Call me old fashioned, but I loved the idea of getting her the perfect necklace I saw at that same store a few weeks before. Doing hero work was a really good living at the time, even more so than now, so I had no problem making an investment."

Midoriya could see All Might's face contort into a painful, miserable look.

"That's when… the mall was attacked. A couple of villains had decided to go on a killing spree just for the fun of it, and chose the mall we were at just because it was the busiest time of day, resulting in a bigger body count. People were screaming, support beams were crumbling, each floor began tumbling down to the ground floor. It was pure chaos. I protected her as best I could, until… I turned around to see a small family just 10 feet away. A wife, husband, and their three children. Above them, a gigantic piece of rubble from the floor above us was about to fall right on top of them."

Midoriya noticed All Might's fists had begun to clench into scrawny fists.

"When I looked back towards my date, she was about the same distance away from me as the family. Only, I could only see her torso. She was falling through the floor, struggling to keep herself from falling any further. Only… the floor around her was cracking. In a matter of seconds, she would fall through the floor to her death."

Midoriya noticed tears forming in the corner of All Might's eyes.

"I only had a split second to act. I knew, that as a hero, I couldn't be biased in this situation. Every instinct told me to ignore my feelings and save the family first. Not only because there were more lives at stake, but because 3 of those lives belonged to children. Our future. The next generation of heroes. Every part of my body tugged at my brain to leap towards them, to pull them to safety… but my heart… wouldn't let me. For the first time in my entire life, I ignored my heroic instincts. I lept towards the woman I had only met the day before, and pulled her up. Just in time, because the second I got her back to solid ground, the floor she was hanging from collapsed. And just in time for me to look back and…"

All Might began crying, and Midoriya had no idea what to do. The Symbol of Peace, the unshakable, invincible number one hero, was crying. He found himself crying too.

"I… I looked back just in time to see… to see their faces. A-All 5 of them were looking at me with a look of… A look of betrayal, panic and disbelief. T-They were all crying. Yet, they didn't have time to scream. Because…"

All Might's trail of tears turned into a stream. He buried his face in his hands, and continued to sob.

"They… They were c-crushed. Blood, organs, entrails, limbs… went flying in all directions. The blood… w-was everywhere. On my face, my hands, my shirt… everything. I… I was eventually able to get it off my face, but… but… never off my hands."

All Might uncovered his tear filled face, and looked at his palms, which were uncontrollably shaking. They looked clean, but… to All Might, they were still stained with the blood of 5 innocent lives. All Might noticed Midoriya looking on in horror, and composed himself. He wiped his tears away with his shirt collar, and continued.

"I made it a personal responsibility to take the villains responsible out. I got my date out of the building, went back inside, and beat all 8 of them to a bloody pulp. I hate to admit it, but I held back my power quite a bit. I wanted to keep them conscious for as long as possible. I issued a statement with the police, but gave the credit to another pro hero whose name eludes me. I took my date home, and…"

All Might had to struggle to keep his tears back again.

"I told her I couldn't see her anymore. That my line of work was far too dangerous, and that I couldn't distract myself with something as silly as romance."

Izuku felt his heart snap in two.

"And, for the rest of my heroic career, I avoided those feelings like the plague. I was so horrified that my own bias would cause me to betray my duty as a hero again, that those selfish feelings would get in the way and cost even more innocent lives. I never fell for anyone again. I kept my heart locked up, and never let it out."

Izuku could feel his heart begin to rot away.

' _S-So… there isn't any room for it. Love will just cost people their lives. My selfish feelings will get in the way, and-'_

"And I regret it. I regret it terribly."

Midoriya shook himself from his depressed thoughts, and looked at All Might in shock.

"Becoming a hero isn't worth giving up your humanity, Midoriya. I made the mistake of denying myself love, a basic human emotion. I never let my heart out of its cage, and because of that… I was never truly happy again. Every single day, I had to carry that pain with me. Being completely and hopelessly alone, knowing and believing that falling in love, that showing anyone my heart would cost innocent people their lives. It took me years to finally understand that these thoughts were ridiculous."

All Might sighed, and shuffled his feet to avoid having them fall numb.

"No matter what I did that day, someone was going to die. Someone innocent. It was my choice to make, and I made the decision that I thought was right. No matter what I did, someone was going to die. But… a lot more than that family died that day. In a way, the real All Might died with them too. I buried my true thoughts and feelings so deep, that, in a way, I ignored who I really was. I denied myself love, something no man or woman should ever, ever do."

Izuku looked at his idol in astonishment.

"Midoriya, don't make the same mistake I made. Don't deny yourself what the heart wants. Don't betray yourself. Becoming a hero is worth many sacrifices, but your humanity isn't one of them. To think, I never even asked for her name…"

Before he could say anything, All Might continued.

"Go on that date tomorrow. Share your feelings. Have fun. Enjoy eachother's company. See where it goes. There aren't any rules against students dating, so you're in the clear there."

All Might sighed, and looked at Izuku. His trademark smile slowly returned to his face.

"I share this story with you because I trust you, more so than anyone else. And… I'm glad we met, Izuku. Thanks to you, I know what it's like to care for someone again. And please, don't feel bad for me. Talking about it with you has finally helped me come to terms with it. Thank you, Izuku."

Midoriya felt tears begin to creep their way to the corners of his eyes.

"I promise, All Might. I'll follow my heart. I'll open up to her, and confess my feelings. We'll find happiness together, I promise."

All Might smiled, and pulled Midoriya into a hug.

"I know you will, my boy."

They stayed like that for what seemed like hours. Neither one wanted to let the other go.

Author's Notes

As always, thank you for reading! This chapter was a lot of fun to write. I've always wondered why All Might is single, and never mentions not being single, so I decided to incorporate my own little story in this fic to add a little bit of angst, and help progress All Might and Midoriya's relationship. And yes, I have plans for Eri and Mirio! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one!


	5. Chapter 5

Romance and Heroics

Spoilers for the Current Arc!

Izuku awoke sunday morning to the sound of his cell phone. Since he spent the night at his mother's, and he left all of his things back at his dorm, he didn't have his All Might alarm clock with him.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

The sound of the default digital beeping made Izuku jolt himself awake, and caused him to send his cell phone flying across his room. He was so used to hearing "THE MORNING IS HERE!" that this unfamiliar, loud noise nearly caused his arteries to clog and send him into cardiac arrest.

' _O-oh, right. I'm at mom's. Heh.'_

For the first time since friday morning, he awoke to a color other than white. From his familiar brown panel ceiling, to his green carpet. The walls were white, but every inch was covered in All Might posters. Izuku brought the majority of his collection with him to his dorm, but he left the remaining few dozen posters he couldn't cram in the box labeled _posters._ He had a few hundred, so he could let his mom keep a few dozen to allow his childhood All Might dedicated room to live on.

Now fully awake, Izuku instinctively carried on his sunday morning as he always does. Starting with eating breakfast, and watching the news. Noticing that his mother was still asleep, Izuku decided to utilize the culinary skills she had taught him. He made his favorite morning meal, boiled fish with a bowl of Miso soup, which only took about 10 minutes to prepare. Once his culinary masterpiece was completed, and he was anxiously waiting to dig in, he sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. Once again, a new hero has just made his debut just a few minutes ago.

"Basket Ball Hero: Noodle Arm? Wow! This one's new! He only has one arm, but the one he has is three times longer than what it should be! His arm also has 7 joints, 11 fingers, and is super muscular! I bet he'd be great in rescue operations. He'd be able to punch through walls, dig up heavy rubble, and keep any villains at bay with his power! This one's definitely notebook worthy."

After scribbling down his name, look, quirk, and potential strategies to use with or against him if they ever met in his notebook, Izuku quickly finished eating and set out for his usual morning jog. 20 miles, a walk in the park for our soon to be Symbol of Peace 2.0. Hard to believe that when he first started this habit, he hated it. He didn't know anyone he passed by, and he always felt he was being laughed at or gossiped about whenever he stopped for a break. Or in some cases, collapsed from exhaustion. However, as time went on and the town began to see the young green haired hero more often, Izuku became acquaintances with some of the people he passed by on each of his jogs. Suto, a baker who set up shop just a few miles from U.A. Kimoto, a fellow jogger who he always passed once or twice on his jogs. Isa, a flower saleswoman who lived just a few blocks down the road from his mother's house. And of course, Hirata, who was a young woman who always cheered him on whenever he was nearing the end of his jog. Now, he enjoyed his jogs quite a lot.

After he finishes his jog, Izuku always headed to the U.A student gym. But, seeing as he was in his childhood neighborhood, he thought he should return to the gym he belonged to when he was still quirkless, before he met All Might. Unfortunately, this gym lacked a lot of the equipment Izuku was now used to, so he didn't stay nearly as long as he wanted. He managed to complete the very basic exercises he still found value in. Bench presses, leg lifts, medicine ball assisted crunches, bicep and tricep curls, calf raises, and the cable bar pull down. Only a fraction of his usual routine, but it would have to do. After finishing his makeshift workout, Izuku decided to return home and spend a little more time with his mother before he had to head back to his dorm.

' _Alright. I've had breakfast, I watched the news, took notes on new heroes, did my weekend jog, worked out… now all that's left is… tonight.'_

Despite All Might sharing a heartbreaking story with him the night before, Izuku's mind was still focused on his upcoming night with Ochako. Her words still reverberated through his head, and his heart would beat like a drum whenever he thought about the previous two days, or the night ahead.

' _It-It's gotta be a prank, right? There's no way she actually wants to go out on a d-date with me. I'm probably right to suspect Mina put her up to this. But still, if there's even a miniscule chance that it isn't... I gotta take this risk. When were we supposed to meet, anyway?'_

He remembered that Ochako was going to text him the time they'd be meeting later that day. He patted his pockets for his phone, only to realize that he left it back at his mother's.

' _O-OH NO! WHAT IF SHE TEXTED ME ALREADY? SHE'S GOING TO HATE ME BECAUSE I DIDN'T RESPOND IMMEDIATELY! I GOTTA GET HOME!'_

Now that Izuku had his provisional license, he could use his quirk out in public when he needed. This wasn't an emergency, or hero business, but he couldn't think about the potential consequences for using his quirk to get home as fast as possible. His mind was filled with nothing but his best and first friend. The events of yesterday and the night before repeat in his head, and the feeling he now knew as love thanks to All Might dug its talons into his heart. But there was no way he could get in trouble, right? After all, he's still recovering, so he was only going to use 5%. He summoned the power of One for All until he could feel lightning begin to crackle from his skin. Then, he calmed his mind, and focused on turning the heat down to 5%. Thankfully, he was finally getting used to adjusting the percentage of his power. Then, after making sure no one was watching, Izuku started to leap from building to building, hoping to quickly cover the 20 miles that separated him from home.

Nearly crashing through his window, Izuku barely managed to get a grip on his windowsill and deactivate his quirk. Thanking himself for learning how to control One for All so he didn't create a giant hole in his mother's wall, Izuku calmly opened his window and stepped inside. He started rummaging through his sheets and blankets, only to remember flinging it across the room when he was startled awake by its alarm. He found it behind his desk, and anxiously unlocked it.

3 New Messages. 0 Missed Calls.

' _Three people? I expected at least one, but not three. I wonder who the other two are?'_

First Unread Message

" _Yo! Midoriya! It's Kaminari! I just realized that I didn't say much of anything when I visited you yesterday, and I kinda feel bad, so I sent you some memes I found this morning about heroes! I wish I could talk with you a little bit more, but I have something pretty important going on tonight. I'll catch you at school tomorrow!"_

Izuku hasn't talked to Kaminari very much, but from what he's heard and seen from him he's an alright guy. He scrolled through 3 pictures that were attached to the text message. The first was a picture of All Might with his trademark smile with the caption "Toilet paper always goes like this. It never, ever goes like this. Only villains do that." He managed to chuckle a little bit, then closed the album. He'd rather read the other 2 messages.

Second Unread Message

" _Hey Izuku!~ It's Mina! I just wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing! We're all still worried about you, y'know! But from what Ochako was saying, you were amazing!~ You've been the main topic among the girls! You and Kirishima! Anyways, I'm glad that you're ok! I'll see you tomorrow at school, ok?"_

Izuku's hands trembled a bit, nearly dropping his phone. Him? The main talk of the girls? And why did Ashido sound so… off? They've never spoken directly to each other before. At least, as far as he could recall. He decided to reply.

" _Hi, Ashido-San! T-Thank you for showing concern! D-Don't worry, I'm fine! I'll s-see you at school tomorrow!"_

He then checked the third and final message.

Last Unread Message

" _Hey, Deku! I'm so happy that you agreed to meet me tonight! Let's meet at the beach at 7 tonight, ok? I'll see you then!"_

And there it was. The text he has been anxiously awaiting. Luckily, she hasn't been waiting for a reply too long. She only sent the text about 10 minutes ago. So of course, Izuku sent his reply.

" _R-Right! I'll see you then! At 7!"_

That's all he could say. Even thinking that she was 100% serious about this sent Izuku's mind into a flustered frenzy. If this wasn't a prank, would he be ready? He knew he couldn't back out at this point, he's too far in. And if he showed up only to get embarrassed and run away from her, he would never be able to forgive himself. He'd have to just swallow his embarrassment and summon some false self confidence. Yet, he knew it was easier said than done.

"Well, I have a few hours. I guess I should say goodbye to mom and head back to the dorms. Maybe I'll check in with everyone and reassure them that I'm alright."

Ochako could barely hold her phone. Her hands were shaking while she typed her message to her crush. She decided on a time, and she had to tell him, since she said she would. Finally gaining control over her hands once again, she now knew exactly why Izuku stuttered even in his texts with her. Sending texts while you're nervous is nerve wracking.

"Aaaand sent! I hope he gets it… and that he agrees. He's usually so busy with his training, so I hope he can find some time for me…"

Instead of carrying on with her usual morning routine by straightening up her dorm room, she instead found herself lying anxiously on her bed, never taking her eyes off her phone screen. Constantly shifting positions and twitching her fingers in anticipation, she awaited for Izuku's reply. He was usually fast with his responses, unless he was either training or sleeping. Her mind kept theorizing his possible responses.

' _I've changed my mind, Uraraka. I'd rather us not see each other like this.'_

' _I'm sorry Uraraka, but I'm busy training today. Maybe another time?'_

' _Actually Uraraka, Hatsume would rather me not see you tonight. Maybe we could hang out with Iida next weekend?'_

Ochako felt her face contort into a look of disbelief and jealousy. She already couldn't stand the way Mei acted around him, so even the thought of Hatsume taking him for herself repulsed her to no end. She shook her head violently until the repugnant thought dug its way into the back of her mind.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZT

It didn't even take a second for Ochako to unlock her phone again. Frantically searching through her messages, she quickly found a new message.

" _R-Right! I'll see you then! At 7!"_

Ochako's face lit up with the light of a thousand suns. She now wore a gigantic smile that could rival All Might's trademark. She brought her phone to her chest, and excitedly began kicking her legs into the air, then rolled around on her bed.

"He really texted back! He's going to be there! I get to see Deku and have him all to myself tonight!"

She began to giggle, and rolled around just a bit more. Until, she felt herself start to fall off the side of her bed.

"W-Woaaah!"

Instinctively, she activated her quirk to prevent herself from falling. Grabbing onto her bedpost, she re aligned herself straight up.

"Release!"

Her feet hit the ground with a thud, and she quickly sat down on her bed to avoid the oncoming nauseousness. She only used her quirk on herself for a few seconds, so it wasn't that bad. Her stomach was just a bit jumbled.

That's when she heard shuffling at her door.

Set aback by the sudden, slightly creepy realization, she slowly brought herself to her door. Putting her ear up against her door, she could hear some muffled voices coming from the other side. Ochako slowly brought her hand up to the doorknob, and opened the door as fast as she could, hoping to at least catch a glance of her stalker.

What Ochako saw on the other side of the doorframe didn't even phase her. She should have expected this.

"H-Hey, Ochako!" Mina said, slowly waving her arm.

Standing in front of her were two of her friends, Mina and Toru.

"What are you guys doing? You know it's rude to creep like that, even if we're friends."

"I know, Ochako, but we couldn't help it! After Aoyama told us what he overheard last night at the hospital, we couldn't help but snoop a little!"

Aoyama? The guy with the laser who she had her finals with? What could he have overheard last night to cause these two to eavesdrop on-

"W-WHAT DID YOU TWO HEAR? HOW LONG WERE YOU O-OUT THERE FOR?"

Ochako's face was now deep red with a mix of embarrassment, and a bit of rage. Aoyama must have heard her ask Izuku out to the beach from the hallway! She'll have to deal with that guy later. Right now, she has to deal with these two gossips.

"We heard everything! You're really going to have him all to yourself tonight, huh?" Mina said while nudging Ochako's shoulder.

"Yeah! You two are going to the beach, right? That's so cute!~"

Ochako's face lit up even more.

"I-It's not like t-that! We're just-"

"Oh you're not fooling anyone, Ochako! Not anymore! It's soooo obvious you have a huge crush on Midori! No girl just asks out a cute guy like Izuku out to the beach just to talk!"

"He's a great catch, Ocha! He's adorable, dorky and shy. But when he goes into hero mode, he becomes a total hunk! In fact, if you don't admit you like him right now, I may just take him for myself!"

"ALRIGHT! I like him!"

Ochako put her palms against her cheeks, trying to control her flustered face from becoming any hotter.

"HAH! I KNEW IT! Jiro owes me 1000 yen!"

"Awww! That's so adorable Ocha!~"

Ochako could do nothing but keep her cheeks firmly planted into her palms. She tried retreating back into her safe space, but Mina stopped her before she could move too far.

"Hey! No need to be embarrassed! I'll tell you what, why don't we go shopping and find you something nice to wear tonight?"

Ochako slowly separated her hands from her cheeks, and looked at her two friends. She was still bright like a lightbulb, but she became calm enough to form words.

"R-Really? But, I can't afford anything nice enou-"

"Don't worry, Ocha! It's on us! Girlfriends gotta stick together and be there for eachother, right? What kind of friends would we be if we let our best girl look drab on her night out?"

"Yeah! Besides, we both know you'd do the same for us if the roles were reversed! Now come on, it's gonna take a while before we find the perfect outfit!"

Ochako wanted to cry. Not only was she lucky enough to have a bestfriend like Izuku, she was lucky enough to have 2 gal pals like Toru and Mina to help her out when she's in need. Whether it's on the battlefield, or before a first date. But before her eyes could leak a single tear, she felt a hand grab hold of her wrist and drag it towards the front door.

Hours passed. Ochako spent her time with her friends Mina and Toru shopping for a new outfit just for her time with Izuku. Meanwhile, Izuku spent his remaining time saying goodbye to his mother, making the trek back to his dorms, then going through mental training to prepare himself for the surely awkward night he was going to have. Knowing himself, and how he reacted to girls, ESPECIALLY Ochako, he had to mentally prepare himself as much as possible to avoid running off in a flustered frenzy.

To both, minutes felt like hours. They both spent the rest of their time differently, yet both felt the same emotions. Anxiety, fear, anxiousness, excitement, restlessness. Both were terrified of the event to come, but excited at the same time. They wanted to confess their feelings, and were excited to finally do so. However, their fear of being rejected or losing their best friend ate away at them. But, with the advice from their mentors and friends, they knew that this had to happen. It was finally time.

6:50.

That was the time Izuku's watch displayed. He was seated on a bench right next to the beach's parking lot, with his hands clasped together and his thumbs endlessly fidgeting. He was beyond nervous, but thanks to his preparation and advice from All Might the night before, he was ready. He just had to be himself, and had to remember that Ochako was probably just as nervous as he was. Izuku wore a green sweater vest on top of a white dress shirt which was tucked into his beige slacks. He didn't have any dress shoes unfortunately, so he wore the only other pair of shoes that weren't his too casual red sneakers, a pair of brown boots.

' _Maybe I overdressed a bit? I mean, we're only at the beach. Not to mention, she never said this was a date. Well, I guess it's better than being underdressed.'_

He rolled up his sleeve to check his watch again.

6:51

' _Ugh. Today's been going by so slow. Hopefully she'll get here early too.'_

While waiting for Ochako to show up, Izuku's mind wandered off to the same thoughts and feelings he's been struggling with for the past few days. All about her. His face went a slight shade of red, and he rested his chin on his palm while thinking about the brown haired girl. He was very curious about what she'd wear. Would she be dressed way better than he was? Or would she come in casual clothing, making him look like an idiot?

"Deku! Hey! I'm here!"

Izuku's head shot up from his arm, and looked in the direction the familiar voice shot from.

' _It's Ochako! She's really here!'_

"H-Hey! Uraraka! I'm O-Over here!"

Ochako skipped happily over towards her friend. A bright, cheery, and excited smile was on her face.

"Deku! I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Of Course Ochako! I w-wouldn't miss this!"

Thanks to his prior mental prep, Izuku was shaking a lot less than he thought he would be by now. He was still twitching a little bit, but Ochako didn't seem to notice. Or at least, she didn't say anything. Unknown to him though, Ochako did her own preparing beforehand. She was just as nervous as he was. Ochako was just better at hiding it.

That's when they both noticed what the other was wearing.

Izuku once again found himself staring at Ochako, like he did in the hospital, and in class. She was wearing a pink sweater over a white blouse with a black skirt and leggings, which were tucked neatly into a pair of pink high top converse shoes. She had a nice black scarf slung over her neck, too.

' _She's… absolutely gorgeous.'_

Meanwhile, Ochako stared at Izuku the same way she did whenever he wasn't looking in class. From his green sweater vest to his recently ironed pants, he was absolutely adorable. Not to mention, his dress shirt was just tight enough on his arms to show off a bit of muscle.

Neither one noticed that they were both blushing.

"A-Anyway, why don't we go get something to eat? I'm really hungry!" Ochako said, breaking the tension.

"O-Oh! Yeah, that sounds g-great!"

Izuku stood up from the bench, and let Ochako lead the way.

"Y-You pick!"

"Are you sure, Deku? I've heard from Iida that you have a great taste in food!"

"Yeah, I'm sure! I rarely ever see you eat in school, so I really don't know your t-tastes."

"Ok! Then let's try… here!"

Ochako pointed to one of the larger food stands on the shore. It was a large square with seats surrounding the border. On the inside was a single chef with a line of ingredients and utensils. In front of every 2 seats was a hot plate, meaning that this was one of those "interactive" food stands where the chef lets the customers help cook the meal. The pair sat down, and began to look at the menu.

"Ooooooh! Okonomiyaki! I loooove those!"

"Ooh! T-That does look pretty good, Uraraka! I've never had it before, so l-let's try it!"

"Really, Deku? You haven't even looked at the menu yet!"

"That's ok! R-Really! I'm sure it will be delicious! Excuse m-me, chef? We'll take an order of the Okonomiyaki! P-Please!"

"Alright! Coming right up, you two! Sit tight!"

While they waited for the chef to begin, the pair started talking about school work, and how they've been doing over the past few weeks.

"Hey, how has your internship going, Deku? Y'know, besides our little run in with Overhaul."

"O-Oh! It's been going great! It's really awesome to be working with someone like Mirio. But other than a few patrols and what happened a few days ago, I haven't really gotten to do much. But what about you? You're interning with Ryukyu, right?"

"Yeah! She's such an amazing hero! I mean, you saw what she did! She sent a villain through a street intersection! She's super strong, and nice too! It's also been really fun working with Asui so much!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot Tsuyu was interning with you!"

The more they talked, the more at ease and comfortable they got around one another. All the anxiety and nervousness seemed to wash away while they held a meaningful conversation with one another. They were both reminded just how compatible they are together.

"No really, Deku! You were so amazing! It's like you were a completely different person with a completely different quirk! You were almost like All Might!" Ochako said, while pumping her fist in the air and wore a cheery smile.

This, of course, made Izuku blush like crazy. He was being compared to his idol again.

"I-Isn't that a b-bit much, Uraraka? It wasn't that big a deal!" He said, while rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"What even was that, Deku? I've never seen you like that."

"Well, look at it this way. My quirk is like a power enhancer. A really, really strong one. What I did during the final exams and the license exam was only about 5% of what I can do. But the thing is, 5% is my max if I want to be unharmed. Every time you saw me break a bone, like my arms or fingers, that was me using my quirk at 100%. My body can't handle it, so my limbs just shatter from the pressure. But with Eri's power of rewinding, I was able to use it all without breaking anything. Well, I technically was, but Eri managed to heal them before my body could even register it."

The silence that followed his words put Izuku off a little bit. He turned towards her, and was met with a face of pure shock.

"O-Ochako?"

"You mean all that time, you were only using 5% of your power?! That's crazy, Deku! This just proves my theory! You're going to become the greatest hero ever, even better than All Might! I just know it!"

That was his breaking point. She was just too bright for him to look at anymore. His face flared, and he buried his face in his hands.

"T-T-That's too m-much, Uraraka! R-Really! I can't f-fill shoes that b-big!"

Ochako giggled at her friend's sudden outburst of embarrassment. She didn't know why, but she loved to tease him like that. It was just too easy.

"Alright! You two wanted the Okonomiyaki, right?"

Izuku was now forced to reveal his tomato like face from his hands.

"Y-Yes Chef! That was us!"

"Excellent! Coming right up!"

The chef sat a bowl onto the countertop in front of the pair, and started to add the basic ingredients. Starting off with some wheat flour, baking powder, and some dashi soup while mixing the bowl. He then grated some mountain yam into the mix for a bit of flavor. Then, the chef placed a large plate with sliced pork, green onions, cabbage leaves, welsh onions, pickled ginger, balled octopus, shrimp, fried tempura batter, baby pink shrimp, and two brown eggs onto the counter directly in front of the two teens.

"Okay! You two are going to help me with the rest! Could you please add the ingredients on the plate into the bowl?"

Ochako and Izuku looked at eachother, then both started to giggle.

"Let's do it, Deku! We're going to make the best Okonomiyaki ever!"

Ochako was beaming with innocence. Izuku almost had to squint his eyes.

"Yeah! Let's do it!"

Both shot their fists up into the air, never taking their eyes off eachother. Until the smell of fresh food reminded them they had a dish to prepare.

Izuku took the pork, green onions, cabbage, welsh onions, and pickled ginger. Ochako took the octopus, tempura batter, baby pink shrimp, and two eggs. They both started to carefully add the ingredients into the bowl. They never stopped giggling while battling each other for the best spots to place their ingredients.

"Alright! Now! Here's a spoon for you! Stir it together until it gets chunky, but don't stir too much! You don't want it to become too smooth!"

Both teens looked at the large wooden spoon. They both had to stir together. Izuku placed his hands on the top, and Ochako placed hers at the bottom. Bumping shoulders, they started to stir. It only took 30 seconds until the batter became lumpy, but mixed just enough. They were having too much fun to even notice how much they were blushing. Now time to release the spoon, they released their hands, brushing against each other's hands in the process. Both were now in full fluster mode.

"D-Deku, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"U-Uraraka! I-I'm so sorry! I didn't m-mean to-"

"Okay! Now that the batter's- Hey, you two kids ok? You're as red as my tomatoes."

It didn't take long for the chef to realize what just happened in front of him. He'd save the teasing for after they paid, just incase one of them ran off before the bill came.

"Y-Yes sir! We're fine! What's next?"

"Alright, well now it's time for me to start cooking it."

The chef turned on the hotplate, and smeared the plate with vegetable oil. After the plate started to sizzle, the chef took the bowl and started to pour it out onto the hot metallic surface, until it formed a round, circular shape.

"Okay! Now, here are some tongs! On the count of three, both of you grab a side and flip! Ready?"

Reminded about how much fun they were having, they decided to save the awkwardness for later. They looked at each other again, and both grew huge smiles, and once again started to giggle.

"Ready Deku?"

"Ready!"

"One… Two… THREE!"

Just like in school, Izuku and Ochako were perfect teammates, no matter what the task was. They managed to flip the disc of deliciousness over without crumbling the surface, much to the surprise of the chef.

"Wow! Well done! That's the first time any customer has been able to flip over my food so flawlessly!"

The chef started to coat the meal with Okonomiyaki sauce, with a bit of green onion and mayonnaise. After a few more seconds, the dish was finally complete!

" _Mwah!_ Delicious! Great job, you two! Please, enjoy!"

Both students looked at the dish in awe, taken aback by how delicious it looked.

"Wooah! It looks incredible, Deku! Mind if I take the first bite?"

"O-Ofcourse! You did most of the work, anyway!"

"Hah, Deku! We both did this together! But if you insist, I won't argue!"

Ochako took the first bite. It melted in her mouth, the flavors harmonizing perfectly. It was like a gigantic wave of pure flavor just crashed against her taste buds. She always loved the taste of food stand meals, but for some reason, it tasted 10 times better to her this time.

"Mmmmmm! Deku, this is really, really good! You gotta try this!"

"Ochako, are you c-crying?"

"Yesss! But only because this food is soooo goood! Try it, Deku!"

"Well, it does smell really good!" Izuku said, not even trying to hold back his laughter.

He took a bite, and was instantly hit with a supernova of taste. It's like a war was being waged within his mouth, between every flavor. All fighting for dominance, but none could get the higher ground. They all were balanced perfectly.

"Ooohooooo! You were right, Uraraka! This is fantastic!"

"Right?!"

Now unable to control their hunger, both truly started to dig in. The meal was big enough to comfortably feed 2 people, but the appetite of two U.A students wasn't so easily tamed.

"E-Excuse me, Chef! One more, p-please!" Izuku said, still wiping his mouth free of crumbs.

Ochako had her mouth full, so all she could do was nod.

They made another, and only after that were they satisfied. This time, no words were shared between the two. Izuku started patting his stomach while Ochako stretched out.

"Aaah! That was great! It's been so long since I ate like that!"

"Y-Yeah! It's been awhile since I've been to one of these!"

"Alright you two, here's your check!"

Both Ochako and Izuku reached for the check at the same time. They looked at each other, and realized they failed to agree on who would be paying.

"Deku, let me! I'm the one who asked you to come here, so it should be-"

"No, it s-should be me! Please, save your money! My mom lent me plenty!"

"Not gonna happen Deku!"

"P-please, Uraraka! I insist! A-After all, it's usually the boy who pays, right?"

Ochako couldn't believe what she just heard.

' _Does he think this is a date?! Well, I mean, he's not wrong, but I thought for sure he would have just thought this was a friendly outing! Maybe he's not as dense as I thought!'_

Izuku noticed the look she was giving him.

' _OH NO! I'm an idiot! Stupid! Why would I say that? This wasn't a date afterall! It was just a-'_

"W-Well, If you r-really want to D-Deku, then… I won't stop you…"

Her face was blushing, and she was giving him a face of pure embarrassment, but with a hint of cuteness. Izuku felt his body temperature skyrocket, now realizing that the thought he just had might have been for nothing.

"O-Ofcourse, U-Uraraka! It's on m-me!"

"If you're sure D-Deku, then ok!"

Izuku pulled out his wallet, and gave their due to the chef.

"Alrighty! Thank you for choosing my stand tonight! Now you two lovebirds enjoy the rest of the beach!"

Both kids went silent, and both were now brighter than the sun. Izuku wanted to bury his head back into his hands, and Ochako wanted to stick her arms out and shake them in denial, but both teens just stayed quiet. There were a lot of people around, so they didn't want to cause a scene. They'd have to deal with the embarrassment, and walk away.

Now walking towards the rest of the stands, neither Izuku or Ochako could stomach to look at each other, not after the embarrassment they just suffered.

"D-Did he think we were…"

"Y-Yeah, Uraraka, I-I think he d-did."

"Hahah… hah…"

The tension was cutting through their skin like butter.

"W-Well anyways, what do you want to do n-next, Deku?"

"U-Um, maybe w-we could try-"

Izuku's eyes were pulled towards the largest vendor stand on the entire shore line.

"There! Let's go in there!"

Ochako turned towards the direction Izuku was now pointing towards. She saw the same thing he did, and her eyes instantly lit up with excitement. Both forgot about their embarrassment, and were now completely focused on the stall in front of them.

"OOOOOH! A HERO MERCHANDISE STAND! Yeah, let's go, Deku!"

The pair excitedly jogged over towards the stand, careful to keep their excitement contained so they wouldn't accidentally bump into anyone. This was the busiest kiosk on the whole beach, so it would be pretty easy to knock into someone by accident. However, no matter how hard they tried, they both lost their cool when they saw just how much the stand had to offer.

"Wooooah! A signed poster of Thirteen! He's been my favorite hero since I was so little!"

"A collectible All Might lunch box! It even has detachable golden hair locks!"

"A giant six foot plushie of Ryukyu!"

"A cardboard cutout of Aizawa-sensei! This has to be super rare! Instead of him signing it like he usually does, he just wrote ' _Get lost, I'm trying to nap'_ on the back!"

They were both beaming, and couldn't contain their giggling. Ochako started to spit a little bit like she always does whenever she hears something really funny when Izuku told her what Aizawa's cutout had written on it. They continued to explore the entire booth, until they looked at every single piece of memorabilia.

"Hey Deku, I think we've seen everything here already. Should we go somewhere else?" Ochako said, giggling when she saw Izuku inspecting the same lunch box again.

"O-Oh! Yeah, you're right! Sure!"

Izuku quickly caught up to Ochako, and they both walked away from the stand side by side. They continued to rabble on about their favorite heroes and quirks, until they were far enough away that they remembered they had no idea what to do next. Or what time it was.

Izuku looked at his watch.

Ochako looked at her phone.

9:30

' _It's already been two and a half hours? Wow! Time goes by so fast when I'm with Uraraka!'_

' _Awww, 9:30 already? I've been having so much fun with him!'_

' _It's getting pretty late, but… there's still one more thing I have to do. I gotta confess. But… where?'_

' _It's really late, but… I haven't gotten the chance to really get him alone yet. Maybe… Oh! Perfect!'_

"H-Hey, Deku?" Ochako broke the silence, and immediately caught Izuku's attention.

"Yeah? What's up Uraraka?"

"There's still one more thing I'd like to d-do. With you."

Izuku felt a blush shoot across his face. She hasn't asked him to do anything with her quite like that before. Her tone was… different. He also noticed that Ochako was blushing too. Even worse than he was.

"S-Sure. What is it?"

"I… I'd like to ride the ferris wheel with you!~"

It went silent for a second or two. Both had nothing but red painted on their faces. Much to Ochako's surprise though, before she had the chance to foolishly apologize for being so sudden...

"Y-Yeah! I wanted to d-do that with you too! Let's go!"

Ochako's head shot up, and looked at Izuku with her glistening, beaming brown eyes. That sentence made her happier beyond words. More than he could ever know.

"Really? Yes! Let's go, then!"

Ochako couldn't hold back her bright smile she now had, or her giggles of excitement. Her smile was so infectious that even Izuku found himself smiling. Normally, he would never be able to smile wide at a time like this, since he was nervous beyond words. But all of that anxiety melted away when he saw just how happy his acceptance of the proposal made her. She really was beautiful. In every conceivable way.

They walked down the sandy boardwalk until they came to the line for the ferris wheel. Lucky for them, it was rather short since it was so late. They only had to wait for a few minutes, so they passed the time by chatting about how they think school will go this week. Ochako and Izuku both were probably going to be the center of attention, along with Kirishima and Tsuyu.

"Ride for two? That will be 1000 yen."

Much to Ochako's displeasure, Izuku paid for their ferris wheel ride as well. She was grateful of course, but she still wanted to contribute. But knowing how stubborn Izuku could be, she decided to let it slide.

' _Depending on how he takes this… I'll cover the costs next time. No matter what.'_

The operator opened the gates for the next group of people, and the pair sat on the first booth that they could. It took a minute for the ride to finally get going due to the other riders, but it was all worth it.

"Oooh! The view is so pretty, Deku!"

"Wow. Yeah, it really is."

Silence. Both Izuku and Ochako had been so focused on gathering their courage to confess, they forgot to think of what to say. Half a minute passed, and still nothing. They both knew this ride wouldn't last forever, so the anxiousness of the situation grew ten times bigger with each passing second.

"U-Um… Deku?"

Izuku looked towards his friend, and was met with the most adorable face he's ever seen.

' _She looks so nervous… and she's blushing like crazy…'_

Izuku's face flared up to match Ochako's shade of crimson.

"Y-Yeah?"

Ochako swallowed hard. It was like she was trying to cough up a 45 pound dumbbell. All she had to do was reveal her feelings, but… why was it so hard?

' _I have to do this. It's now or never!'_

"Deku!"

"Uraraka!"

They both looked at eachother flabbergasted. Ochako was clearly more surprised, though.

' _Is he…?'_

"O-Oh! I'm s-sorry U-Uraraka. I didn't m-mean to interrupt you!"

"N-No! It's okay Deku, R-Really!"

A few seconds pass with nothing but silence.

"B-But, I do have s-something to tell you, Deku."

"I've been meaning to say something to you, Uraraka."

Again, they look at each other. But instead of surprise, they started to giggle.

"A-Alright, you go first, Uraraka."

The short comedic relief helped to lessen the tension in the air, even if for just a short moment. This made it easier for the two to talk. Not for long, though.

"O-Ok, Deku. Alright."

Ochako breathed deep, and cleared her mind of everything else. She focused only on what she wanted to say. She reluctantly forced herself to feel and remember the feelings she's been wrestling with for the past few months. Her true feelings for Izuku, the feelings she couldn't deny anymore, and now she couldn't resist.

"W-Well… the truth is Deku, I asked you to meet me for two reasons, not just t-to hang out…"

She had to fight the urge to crawl up into a ball, and use her quirk to float herself as far away from her crush as possible.

Izuku shifted his position so that he was looking right at Ochako. His eyes were gleaming with hope and anxiety, but his cheeks were lined with crimson embarrassment. He had to fight the urge to scream to the operator to let them off. He felt all of his feelings he had for his friend, his crush, that he only just discovered surge within him. Despite just finding them, he knew those feelings have been there for a long time. His heart swelled with anticipation.

' _Is she?'_

"But to t-tell you something too. I… I've been struggling w-with these feelings for a really long t-time. F-Feelings about… you."

Izuku's heart stopped. His eyes went wide, and his face went pale.

"Deku… You're so amazing. Ever since I first met you, I thought you were amazing. To see you time and time again throw yourself in dangers way just for the sake of others…"

Ochako paused for a moment. Just to collect the rest of her thoughts. She already went off script, so she decided to just wing the rest of it.

"I… I want to be just like you. You inspire me every single day I see you to become the best hero I can be. And… the more I thought about you… the weirder I felt. Like my… Like my heart is all jumbled up…"

Izuku started to shake. Not bad enough to be worrying, but enough for himself to take notice. She just described the same feeling he's been feeling for the past 2 days, and probably since he first laid eyes on her. The feeling he now knew as love.

"And… I feel like the only way for me to feel better I-is to…"

"U-Uraraka."

Her eyes looked up to meet his, and before she could say anything else…

"I… I f-feel the same w-way. I… I just started f-feeling this way friday night… when you c-came to visit me. B-But… I think I've felt this way for a l-long time."

Ochako could feel tears building up in the corner of her eyes.

' _He… He's felt the same way? This whole time? Really? I'm not crazy? I'm not selfish for having these feelings?'_

"I've just been so c-caught up with being a h-hero, that I… I never s-stopped to really notice h-how I felt. B-But… seeing you in my room on f-friday, and how beautiful you looked, It just… clicked."

Ochako's face went crimson again, but she didn't care. She was mesmerized by his words. Completely entranced. Beautiful? Was this really Izuku she was talking to? The Izuku she knew would have exploded from embarrassment as soon as he finished that sentence.

"I-It's taking every ounce of courage in m-me to admit this, but… Ochako…"

"I like you! I really really like you, Izuku!"

"I-I like you, Ochako! I like you a lot!"

And in that instant, Izuku and Ochako felt their hearts burst free from their chains and the fog clear from their heads. They felt overwhelmingly relieved, but they didn't even notice. They were entranced with each other, staring into eachother's eyes while their cheeks resembled the sun that set just a few hours prior.

Before either hero could even comprehend what just happened, they felt a magnetic force between each other. Something was pulling their heads together, and neither one was fighting it. They were now completely still, only focused on each other's lips. Izuku and Ochako inched closer to each other, supporting themselves by placing their hands by their sides, until they were close enough to give in to their instincts.

They shared a kiss, as innocent as a kiss could be. Just a simple peck on the lips. But, when they tried to back away, that same attracting force brought them together again, this time forcing them to lock lips. Just for a few seconds, but just enough for a spark to fly. Izuku felt his mind melt away, while Ochako felt her mind fill itself with nothing but the color green. They were both in bliss.

A bright light filled the night sky, followed by a few more. For the first time in what seemed like forever, the couple broke their concentrated stare to look at the source of the light, which turned out to be fireworks. Nothing too spectacular, but just enough to make the night perfect.

"O-Oh wow, Fireworks…" Ochako said, looking back at her new partner.

"Y-Yeah… they're beautiful. That m-makes them the second most b-beautiful thing I've seen tonight."

Ochako felt her face melt away from the heat, but was quickly put at ease again when she felt arms around her, pulling her into a warm embrace. She smiled, tears forming in her eyes again, and returned the hug.

Izuku punched himself mentally for sounding so corny. Making that comment took every ounce of confidence he had, but it seemed to work, so his suffering was worth it.

Neither Izuku or Ochako ever wanted this night to end.

And he was so happy this wasn't a prank.

"YYYYYES! YOUNG MIDORIYA, YOU DID IT!"

All Might was seated on a small dinghy out in the ocean, just by the beach. In front of him was a homemade firework launcher, a pair of binoculars, and his now good friend Gunhead.

"Ooooh joy! She did it! She really did it! Love has come to U.A once again! Finally!" Gunhead said as he clapped his hands together, looking at the distant new couple.

"Gunhead I gotta say, the fireworks was a great idea. I was just going to sit out here and make sure my boy didn't do anything stupid! Hahahah!"

"Of course! Fireworks are always the best thing to end a magical first date at a beach like this!~"

BONUS

"Hey Jiro, did that look like Midoriya and Uraraka just now? In line for the ferris wheel?"

Kaminari looked at his date for the night, who was now facing the direction of the giant wheel.

"Hey, yeah, you're right. For once. Wonder what they're doing here."

"Probably the same thing we're doing! Out on a date!"

"No, couldn't be. Midoriya is way to shy for something like that. Ochako is too, but I'd be more worried about him. And I never said this was a date, you volt head! I just… wanted to see the new stands is all!"

"Oh, so when you said 'Sure Kaminari, I'll tolerate you for an hour for a date,' that was a lie?"

"S-Shut up."

Jiro shoved her elbow into Denki's stomach, causing him to recoil in pain.

Author's Notes

Hey guys! I'm really sorry this chapter took so long, but it's here! I've been so consumed by Super Mario Odyssey and my new computer that I couldn't help but spend my free time on them. Not to mention I'm now working 6 days a week. But seriously, thank you for waiting! And as always, thank you for reading! And to each and every one of you who has favorited, followed, and commented, thank you. Seeing just how much support I've gotten from this community is amazing. Thank you, everyone who is reading this right now. I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

Romance and Heroics

Spoilers for current arc!

The last minute felt like hours to the pair. The hug they shared while the night sky was lit up with fireworks was simply bliss to them, and they never wanted to separate. Yet, they were forced to when they felt their booth return to the ground, and the gate separating them from the outside world opened back up. They looked at each other immediately after separating, and sighed. The night had to end sooner or later, they just wished it could last just a little bit longer. They walked out of their booth, and towards the parking lot. It would be another few minutes before the next train arrived, so Izuku decided to find a bench so they could sit.

"H-Hey, Uraraka?"

Ochako perked up at hearing him speak up for the first time since the hug.

"Y-Yeah, Deku?"

"D-Does this mean that we're now… you k-know… d-dating?"

Ochako couldn't help but blush at the question. Finally, the last step of her plan has come. All she had to do now was confirm his question.

"Y-Yeah, Deku. That's what I want more than anything right now."

Izuku's eyes widened, and he let a wide smile creep its way onto his face.

"I-I know it was probably a s-stupid question, but I just w-wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming."

Ochako's eyes also widened, absolutely shocked at Izuku's still remaining confidence.

"Yeah. This is w-what I want more than anything r-right now too."

Ochako felt relieved to hear those words. He was just as happy as she was. She said nothing in response, she instead rested her head on Izuku's right shoulder. She finally felt comfortable. For the first time since she first met Izuku, her heart felt at peace. It felt even better.

Izuku wanted to shriek in the sudden physical contact, but decided he might as well get used to it now. After all, he had a girlfriend, and he knew that this kind of interaction was normal. Instead of gasping for air, he slowly lowered his head to rest on top of hers.

"I'm so happy you're safe, Deku."

These words brought tears to Izuku's eyes. Now that he'd confessed to Ochako, and that they were now a couple, a new feeling replaced the one he just shed. A feeling of dread. In his mind, he remembered every time he's come close to death since he first began school. Attempting to save Kacchan from the slime villain, saving Ochako from the 0 pointer, risking his life to save All Might from Shigaraki at the USJ invasion, his reckless self harm during his fight with Todoroki, his fight with the Hero Killer Stain, his fight with Muscular over the summer, and his recent bout with Overhaul. He now realized that he had a girlfriend, someone who he cared about so, so much. Someone he loved. Would she try to get in between him and the danger that he constantly threw himself in front of? Would she try to change who he was so that he wouldn't instinctively rush after everyone who cried out for help? Would she spend the rest of her life in pain and misery should something terrible happen to him? He had to make it clear, if it wasn't so already, that getting into a serious relationship with him meant dealing with his constant heroic outbursts.

"H-Hey, Uraraka?"

"Hm? Yeah, Deku?"

"I...I need to ask you something. And I need to m-make sure that you understand something, too."

Ochako started to worry. Whatever Izuku was about to say, she didn't like it.

"What is it, Deku?"

She looked up at him with concern. Their eyes met, and she noticed the pain in his eyes that now replaced the tender care and affection she saw only moments before.

"It's...It's about me. And… how I always get myself hurt. I just need to know if… you understand that b-being in a relationship with m-me means that you'd have to… you know, deal with it. I'm not g-going to lie, a lot of things c-could happen. It's just… who I am as a hero. So… are you p-prepared for that, Uraraka?"

Ochako paused for a few moments. She should have seen this coming. He's always so thoughtful of her and her feelings, so how could he not bring this up? She has thought a lot about this. Of course, she doesn't like it when Izuku charges head first into whatever danger presents itself in front of him. And now, she knows exactly how painful it is to watch with his recent fight with Overhaul. But, she knows exactly what she's getting into with him. She has no intention of changing his ways, or begging him to stop. She can't guarantee that she won't try to save him, though.

"I am. It's not like I haven't thought this through, Deku. I know how you are, and your selflessness is what I love most about you. I'd never try to change that."

Izuku couldn't control his tears anymore. They began pouring out of his face like a waterfall, only to be halted by a face caressing his cheek.

"You're going to be a great hero someday, Deku. And I plan on being there with you every step of the way."

His tears immediately stopped, and he found himself burying his face into her shoulder, in the form of a gentle and warm hug. He was beyond relieved. Of course she would understand, how couldn't she? She knows him better than everyone else when it comes to how he acts as a hero, even more than his own mother. If she chose to be with him regardless, then that must mean she already knew it was something she was willing to accept.

"Thank you, Uraraka."

He pulled away from her hug, only to have her rest her head on his shoulder once again. This made him comfortable enough to change the subject.

"S-So, how are we going t-to break the news to the others?"

Ochako paused for a moment, scrunching her face to appear deep in thought.

"I really never thought about that. I was so nervous about tonight, that I didn't even remember the others."

"P-Personally, I think it would be a bad idea to tell them so soon. Just imagine all the questions we'd get t-tomorrow! I'd be swarmed by all the guys and you'd be swarmed by all the girls, right?"

Ochako shuddered at the thought of being interrogated by Mina and Toru. Earlier today was bad enough, and she knew she was already going to be pestered by the two enough tomorrow. She had no idea how she's even going to handle them.

"Y-Yeah, I can agree to that! But, we should at least tell Iida. We owe him that much. We don't want him to feel left in the dark, after all."

"Yeah, you're right. So, we won't tell anyone other than Iida tomorrow. Does that sound good?"

"Yep! Sounds like a plan, Deku!"

The couple just sat on the bench, enjoying each other's warmth and company. The train still hasn't arrived, so they still had longer to sit and admire one another. Both kids were still processing the events of the night, and that they were an actual fully fledged couple. Ochako started to worry about how Izuku will act now that they're in a relationship. Neither one had any romantic experience before, but she knew how Izuku was around women he barely knew.

"Hey, Deku? One more thing?"

"Y-Yeah? What is it, Uraraka?"

Ochako planted a firm, yet delicate kiss on his cheek, causing him to erupt to a deep shade of red. Ochako couldn't help but giggle at his adorable reaction.

"W-We're a couple now, so we have to act like it, ok? So… don't be afraid to hold my hand, or kiss me, ok?"

Saying that sentence almost caused Ochako to faint. That took every ounce of courage she had left. But that was nothing compared to the state that Izuku was now in.

"U-URARAKA?! WHERE DID THAT-"

"I-I'm just as experienced as you are, so we'll have to try our hardest and work on it, ok?"

Ochako smiled wide, causing Izuku to melt in her arms. All of his embarrassment melted away with him.

"O-Okay! I'll do my b-best, Uraraka!"

"O-Oh, and Izuku?"

Hearing his girlfriend call him by his first name sent shivers down his spine.

"Y-Yes, Ura-"

"Call me Ochako from now, on, okay?"

His face wanted to burst in a giant explosion of red, but having his partner nuzzled up against his neck and shoulder made him stay calm. He didn't want to disturb her comfort.

"A-Alright, O-Ochako."

They sat there for another minute or two, snuggling against each other, warm as can be thanks to their body heat. The train came shortly after, and the two boarded the train. Since it was so late at night, the train was much less busy. They sat near the door where they entered, and resumed the same position they had on the bench. They giggled about how all of their friends would react if they found out about what happened between them. Izuku's stop was the first to come up. Upon hearing the name of his street, he nudged Ochako to let him stand. She obliged, and stood up with him. The train slowly came to a stop, and Izuku turned to face his girlfriend.

"W-Well, this is my stop. T-Thank you for tonight, Ura- I mean, O-Ochako. It was amazing."

"Yeah, it really was, Izuku. I hope we can do something like this again soon. But next time, I'm paying!"

They both laughed.

Then, Izuku pulls Ochako into the biggest, deepest hug he could muster. Her eyes widen at first at his sudden move, and they widen even more when she feels a pair of gentle, soft lips kiss her cheek. Izuku then releases his hold on her.

"I-I'll see you tomorrow, Ochako. Good night!"

"Good night, Izuku. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Izuku turns to get off the train, but he feels a hand quickly grab his sleeve.

"We'll have our second kiss next time, ok?"

Izuku could do nothing but blush, and get off the train. He was seemingly frozen in place, and could only watch his now giggling girlfriend in the window trudge off to her stop, at the U.A dorms.

' _Heehee, I love teasing him like that.'_

Izuku enters his mother's home, making sure to be extra quiet so he wouldn't wake his mother. He had forgotten his backpack in his bedroom, so he needed to retrieve it before heading back to the dorms. His mother always went to sleep by 10, so as long as he could make it to his bedroom, he'd be home free. He only made it halfway through the living room.

"IZUKUUUU! YOU'RE HOME! I WAS SO WORRIED! I'VE BEEN CALLING YOU!"

He cringed at the sudden loud outburst coming from the couch. Under a mountain of blankets and tissues was his sweet mother, who had been waiting for him to get home.

"You forgot your backpack, so I knew you'd be coming back, but I wasn't expecting you to be out so late, Izuku! Did something happen? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, mom! Really! Nothing bad happened! We just lost track of time is all."

"My little baby Izuku is growing up so fast! He went out on a date with a cute girl!"

Inko was still crying tears of joy.

"Izukuu! You have to tell me all about it! Don't spare your mother any details!"

He anticipated this, but he wished it could wait for tomorrow. He told his mother everything that had happened, and reminded her of who Ochako was. Inko already knew what kind of girl Ochako was since he always talks about her, and she admired the girl for making his son so happy. She was sweet, kind, tough, and innocent, just like her son! But Izuku shared his romantic feelings with her for the first time, causing his mother to grapple him into an extremely tight hug, threatening to cut off his oxygen.

"My baby Izuku is such a sweetheart and he found himself the perfect girl! I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend for my sweet Izu! It sounds like a first date right out of a romance novel! Oh Izu, I'm so happy for youu!"

"M-Mom, you're choking… me…"

Things settle down, and Izuku manages to get his mom to sit down on the couch with him. They start to talk about how Izuku and Ochako were just like Inko and Hisashi when they first met, but their date reminded her of a completely separate event. Her first real date.

"Oh it was absolutely magical! I accidentally ran into him outside of a coffee shop, and I fell onto the ground. I thought he would hate me for being so clumsy, but he helped me up and apologized even though it was clearly my fault! I feel so bad for saying this, but he was so dreamy! His hair was golden, and it flowed off the top of his head like a fountain! His eyes were a deep marble blue and his face and body were so chiseled! It makes me feel dizzy just thinking about it!"

Izuku felt sick. This story was strangely familiar. It could just be a coincidence though, so he shrugged it off and kept listening.

"He invited me into the coffee shop for a drink, and we ended up talking all night! He even convinced me to give him my phone number! We planned a day out on the town for the following day! Even when I got home and tried to go to sleep, I couldn't stop thinking about him! We met outside of the same coffee shop where we first met and we had so much fun! We went to the arcade, a karaoke bar, he was an AMAZING singer too! Then we saw a movie, went ice skating, then we went to the mall to shop for some comics and clothes!"

This was too much for Izuku to handle. He went as pale as a ghost, and could barely manage to pay attention to the rest of the story.

"All I can remember after that is a lot of loud noises, the mall falling apart, me dangling from a hole in the floor, and him sweeping me up and carrying me to safety! The night would have been absolutely perfect! If he didn't call things off when he brought me home. He said it was about his job as a hero that prevented us from seeing each other any further, which I totally understand, but… something tells me that it was my fault. Was I a bit too forward? Maybe too clingy? I'll probably never know. But, everything else about that night was magical!"

Izuku was hit with a wave of deja vu, and he couldn't deny it anymore. The woman that All Might was talking about, the young woman who he fell in love with all those years ago, was his own mother. His mind went blank, his body went limp and his face was drained of all its remaining color.

"But, If we went any further, then I wouldn't have met your father, and you wouldn't exist! So, I'm happy that things turned out as they did. Although, I can't help but wonder whatever happened to him. To think, I never learned his name."

Izuku knew it was best to hide the truth from his mother. How exactly would he go about telling his mother that her first love turned out to be All Might, the greatest hero in recent history? She must not recognize him due to his now skeletal figure, so it was easy to hide the true identity of her first love. He wouldn't want to betray his father, either. He'd keep the secret to himself until he felt it was ok to tell her.

"Anyway, I really want to meet your girlfriend, Izuku! You make her sound really nice, but I'll have to meet this Ochako in person to truly get a read on her. I have to make sure she's a perfect candidate for my adorable son's wife!"

All the color that left his face rushed back to his cheek in a single second. Marriage? How could his mother start talking about that already? They only started dating about an hour ago!

"I-I only started dating her today, mom! We're not that serious yet! But yeah, I'd love for you to meet her, though. I was planning on asking her to come over for dinner one night in the next few weeks."

"Sounds wonderful, Izuku! Now, it's getting really late and it's a school night! You don't look injured anymore, so you should really go to bed. I'll wake you up in the morning and drive you to your dorm in the morning, so there's no need to go back out tonight."

He smiled at his mother's proposal. No matter how old he got, or how much he grew, he would always be her baby, and she'd always be his mother. Finally realizing just how tired he was, Izuku hesitantly agreed. He didn't originally plan on staying the night, but being able to sleep as early as possible sounded like bliss to him. It's been a long day, and he still has a lot to process.

"Alright, Mom. If you really don't mind, then I'm off to bed. Goodnight, mom. I'll see you in the morning."

Izuku brought his mother into a hug, which she gladly returned.

"Goodnight, my sweet Izuku. I'm so proud of you. I'll see you in the morning."

Izuku released his mother, and sleepily made his way toward his old bedroom. The floorboards creaked under his steps,and the door to his childhood sanctuary squeaked open. He lied down on his familiar mattress, since he bought a new one for his dorm, and tried his best to drift off to sleep. His mind however, had other plans. He kept thinking about that kiss, and that sudden burst of confidence he seemed to get. Where did that come from, and how did he not evaporate from the embarrassment? He never expected the night to turn out so perfect, and he definitely wasn't expecting himself to keep his composure so well. He pondered about these questions for what seemed like hours, until he finally accepted his new found confidence. He was so happy that it showed up when it did. Finally answering his own questions, his mind filled with the color brown, and he drifts off to sleep.

Ochako was awoken from her short nap by the train coming to a halt. She looked outside to see the U.A building towering over all its surroundings, so she knew this was her stop. She grabbed her things, and walked off of the train. It was really late, so the train station was almost completely empty, only being illuminated by a few street lights. It was freezing, so she thanked herself over and over for not wearing a dress that night. She readjusted her purse strap, and started to walk back to her dorm. She couldn't get rid of the giant smile that was stuck on her face.

' _I really really did it. I admitted my feelings, and he revealed his! This night couldn't have been more perfect.'_

Luckily, on the weekends, the kids had no curfew, so the doors to her dorm building unlocked without a problem. Normally, if she showed up this late in the night, the doors wouldn't respond to her key, effectively locking the tardy student out for the whole night. Aizawa was the one responsible for this little punishment. She was relieved when she felt a wave of heat hit her in the face. It was only then that she realized just how tired she was. It was a little after midnight, so she had to hurry to bed to have any chance of waking up feeling even a little refreshed. She trudged over to the stairs, climbed to her floor, and walked over to her door. She unlocked it, and stepped inside.

Seeing her familiar room made her instantly feel at ease. This was her safe space, her comfort zone. She had an amazing time with Izuku, and she was beyond happy with the results, but she could use a break from being flustered every 10 seconds. She took off her sweater, took her purse off of her shoulder, and flung them both to the ground. She was exhausted, and she had to get as much sleep as possible.

A loud noise suddenly erupted from her phone, a familiar ringtone that she would have never expected to hear that night. She set a different ringtone for each contact on her phone, but this one was unique.

' _Must be a mistake. They'd never call me this late.'_

She accepted the call, and groggily placed her phone up to her ear.

"Hey, sweetie! It's mom and dad! You're on speaker phone!"

"WHAAAAT? MOM AND DAD? WHY ARE YOU TWO CALLING THIS LATE?"

Her parents laughed, and told her to shush. Embarrassed that she could have just woken up the entire building, she quieted her tone. That didn't mean she was any less shocked, though.

"H-How are you two calling so late?! Shouldn't you be working? Or at home?"

"Honey, when we called you earlier to see if you wanted to come shopping with us this afternoon, and you said no since you were already shopping for clothes, how could we not at least call? It was pretty obvious something _else_ was going on." Her father said with his deep, yet tender voice.

"But how did you know I'd get home now?"

"You don't go on a date with a boy and get home on time, sweetie."

She almost dropped her phone.

"How could we call ourselves parents if we couldn't find out that our daughter was going on a date with a boy?" Her mother said, obviously wrestling her husband for the phone.

"H-How did you-?"

"Ochako, we're your parents. It's kind of a our job to figure these things out, especially mine. For one, you never go shopping for yourself, especially for clothes. Two, you sounded unbelievably nervous over the phone, like there was something stuck in your throat. And three, we heard two of your friends giggling in the background. You're way too obvious, sweetie."

Ochako's face went blank. They read her like a book!

"Soooo?~ Who's the lucky boy who's dating my sweet little daughter? Is it that Midoriya boy you're always talking about?"

They even got who the boy was right! She really wanted to deny everything, and do everything she could to get out of this conversation, but she knew she couldn't hide it any longer. They clearly knew what was up, and they've managed to corner her. She planned on visiting them during their late night break the next day to talk to them in person, but she figured it was too late for that.

"Y-Yeah, it's him. You saw him at the sports festival, right? The one with green hair who fought Todoroki?"

Both of Ochako's parents were relieved. Thanks to their daughter's testimony, they both knew exactly what kind of kid Izuku was. They remember Ochako coming home from the entrance exam and telling them all about a boy with green hair and freckles saving her life from a giant robot over the phone. Since then, she never stopped talking about him, he always seemed to pop up in every conversation when it came to school. From him throwing himself in harm's way to save their peers in the USJ invasion, to him saving a pro hero from the Hero Killer, to him risking his life to save a child during their school trip, and how he defied the future just to save a little girl, and it turn, everyone else. They saw it on the news, and the witnesses wouldn't stop talking about a boy in green with a little girl strapped to his back. They said he was showing power similar to All Might, and he managed to defeat one of the most dangerous villains in all of japan. From all of this evidence, how could they not be overjoyed to hear that their daughter managed to steal his heart? He sounded like a true hero, despite being so young. They couldn't choose a better partner for their little girl.

"Yeah, we remember him. How could we not? You always talk about him."

"From what we've heard and seen about Midoriya, we couldn't ask for a better boyfriend for our daughter!"

"But! That doesn't mean I'm satisfied with just hearing about him. I want to meet him! A dad always has to meet their daughter's boyfriend. Only then will I be able to form a solid opinion about him."

"Y-Yeah, of course, dad. I was planning on inviting him over for dinner one night anyway. The only problem is finding a day where you guys will be home."

"Don't worry about that! We'll find a way around work. Just tell us when you can get him over to meet us, and we'll be there."

"Yeah! I remember you saying how nervous and shy he gets around you, so I'm really excited to see how he handles this!"

"M-Mom!"

' _So that's why I like to tease him sometimes. I wonder if dad has to put up with this.'_

"I'm just teasing! But you haven't told us how your date went. So, how'd it go?"

Ochako told her parents everything that happened. From the food, to the hero merchandise, to what happened up on the ferris wheel. Her parents were the easiest people for her to talk to, but she had a hard time explaining that last part. She also told them more things about Izuku, like how All Might himself seems to have taken a peculiar interest in him, and how he's interning with All Might's former sidekick. From being one of the top students in the class, and never failing to help out any other students with their studies. This led to her finally telling her parents about the feelings she struggled with for last few months, which only stopped an hour prior.

"Yeah, we knew about that."

"W-What?! How could you-"

"Well for starters, whenever you brought his name up, you'd start blushing and your stuttering would come back. Whenever you needed help on homework, you'd call him, despite being friends with your classes top student. And have I mentioned that you never stopped talking about him? We'd have to be stupid to not think something was going on."

Her mother said nothing, but Ochako could tell she was nodding in agreement.

"But I'm glad that he makes you this happy, and that you've managed to confront your feelings about him. But I don't want to hear about your relationship getting more serious before I meet him, alright?"

"Yes, dad. I'll invite him over to dinner soon, I promise!"

"Good. Now, it's getting really late. Your mother and I should be getting back to work, and you should be getting to bed!"

"Yes, dad. I will. And… I miss you guys. A lot. I was going to surprise you tomorrow during your late night break, but this is good."

"I know, sweetie. We miss you too. We're sorry that we have to work so much, but we just can't afford not to. But we promise, when you tell us a date that you can get Midoriya over, we'll do everything we can to be at home for you!"

That brought a tear to Ochako's eye. She missed her parents dearly, and was really looking forward to surprising them the following day to break the news, but they got to her first. She really missed seeing them every day, and she longed to have a family dinner for the first time in years. Having Izuku with them would only be a bonus.

"We're so proud of you, sweetie. We hope you find happiness together."

"W-We will, mom. I know it. Goodbye, mom and dad. I'll see you soon!"

"Bye, Sweetie! We'll see you real soon, we promise!"

"Tell Midoriya that we said hi!"

"I will, Mom!"

Ochako said one last goodbye to her parents, and ended the call. When her phone finally went black, she turned the lights off and crashed onto her bed. That conversation completely sapped all of her remaining stamina. She was surprised that her parents were so understanding and accepting, though. Especially her dad.

BZZZZZZZZZT

' _Really? I just put the thing down!'_

51 new messages. 7 missed calls.

' _Who the hell has been trying to contact me so much?'_

10 of the messages were from Toru, and 41 were from Mina. The calls were all from Mina. She expected them to pry, but not anywhere near this much. She sighed, and marked them all as read. She'd confront them about blowing her up in the morning. She set her phone aside on her nightstand, and finally closed her eyes to drift off to sleep. However, two things kept her up. Her phone continued to buzz from text messages, which she quickly solved by turning her phone off. The other thing that kept her awake was her brain constantly replaying the night's events in her head. She couldn't help but smile and giggle at all of his awkward moments, and how happy she felt when he confessed his feelings too. After a while of laughing to herself and bubbling up at how adorable he was, she decided to focus on something to relax herself, so she could finally sleep. She filled her mind with his favorite color, green, which quickly allowed her to relax. Something about that color made her feel so safe and warm, so much so that she was quickly able to fall asleep.

BONUS

All Might was holding his pair of binoculars up to his eyes, viewing the couple who were now seated on a bench. His worst fears were realized when he noticed that Izuku was now crying. Really, really hard.

"Oh come on, kid! I told you to work on those waterworks!"

' _Although, knowing him, he probably said something about always getting hurt. And she put his mind at ease by telling him that she's willing to accept the way he is, and that she's always going to be there for him, no matter what. There's probably nothing to worry about.'_

His theory was confirmed when the couple brought each other into a hug, and returned to resting their heads against one another shortly after.

"CALLED IT!"

"Oh, I meant to ask you, All Might. How do you think Eraserhead will react to this?" Gunhead said, still sitting across from All Might.

All Might forgot all about school.

' _Oh, shit! I forgot all about school! Knowing Aizawa, he'd push those two to the very limits of their relationship if he ever found out about this! It's a horrible idea to warn Aizawa about this new couple, and I can't let Midoriya know I saw their whole night out. I just gotta hope they're smart enough to keep this to themselves until the right time comes…'_

"Aizawa doesn't have to know about this. I think they're smart enough to keep this a secret until the right time comes along. How did you break the news to everyone while you attended U.A?"

"Oh, we waited a few months before my wife and I broke the news. People were starting to get really suspicious since we spent practically all of our time together, so we decided it was best to finally reveal our secret love!~"

"So? How did they take it?"

"Pretty well, actually. We were only teased by our classmates for a few days, and our teacher was understanding enough to realize that romance in an environment like this is unavoidable, so everything went alright! But I'd be worried about those two cuties, with Aizawa being their homeroom teacher and all."

"Well, we just gotta hope they're smart enough to handle this right. And hope that their classmates don't pry too much."

"Speaking of being smart, we both have jobs to do in the morning. I'm sure they can get home safe, All Might. Why don't we start rowing back to shore?"

All Might looked at his watch, which read 11:30.

' _Wow, time goes by really fast when you're doing some morally questionable observations on your students.'_

"Yeah, you're right! Let's start to head back."

Edit: A big thank you to Amandineylan! Who made a fantastic point, and caused me to completely change the way Ochako talks with her parents. Thank you very much!

Author's Notes

Hey everyone! Glad I got this one out on time! Kinda. I apologize that this one is a little shorter than last weeks, but it's for a good reason. I'm happy to say that I will be participating in Izuocha week starting next sunday! I will be writing 4 short stories for days 1,2,6, and 7. I can't say how long they will be, but I have all of my ideas written out and I will hopefully have them all ready to go for each day. If you have any interest in Izuocha week, or Izuocha in general, then I highly recommend joining me on the Izuocha discord! It'll be great to meet some of my readers! (Plus, I might get some popularity points for bringing in some more people.) Anyways, I truly hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you so much for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Romance and Heroics

Spoilers for the Current Arc!

Normally, classroom 1-A would be almost entirely empty at 8:15 AM. For the most part, only Iida and Yaoyorozu would be so early. However, on this particular day, almost everyone was present. News about the Overhaul situation, their classmate's involvement in it, the hospital visits to Izuku and Kirishima, and a particular rumor started by Ashido made everyone unable to wait to see eachother again. Yet, everyone's attention seemed to be shifted towards one other student in particular.

"Yo Kirishima! We heard all about your fight with that big brute, and even that you discovered a new power! What is it? We're dying to know, you gotta show us!" Said a very energetic Sero.

"Yeah! Come on 'Horn Buddy!' You gotta show!" Said Ashido, who could barely contain her excitement.

"I gotta say, I'm interested in seeing it too. I've heard it was powerful, but we still don't know what it is exactly. Can't you show it to us for just one second?" Said Sato, who was clenching his giant fists.

"Sorry guys, but no can do. Using it on Rappa took all of my strength just to use it for that short amount of time. Besides, I can't spoil all of my surprises yet. But I CAN say that it is pretty manly! But honestly, it's not me who you guys should be focusing on. Midoriya's the one who you should be focused on. He completely decimated Overhaul in a one on one! How manly can one guy possible be?"

Almost immediately, the conversation shifted onto Izuku.

"Oh yeah, that's right! After we all saw him in the hospital, I heard from someone that he had some kind of transformation!" Hagakure said while trying her best to contain her excitement.

"Yeah, A bunch of witnesses said they could feel the ground shake with every one of his punches." Said Shoji.

"We gotta ask him to show us when he gets here! Though, maybe we should wait until we can go outside. He might destroy the whole school!" Sato exclaimed, clenching his fists even harder than before.

The students continued to talk about Izuku and his astonishing power for another minute. But to one of the students, it felt more like hours. Bakugo was silently sitting in his seat just a short distance away from the group, almost foaming at the mouth.

'There's no fucking way any of that is true. NO FUCKING WAY!'

"I'd be shocked if Midoriya didn't make it on the news. If the rumors are true, then I wouldn't be surprised if people are comparing him with All M-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

The whole room went dead silent, and all heads turned towards the direction of Bakugo. He was leaning on his desk with both arms grasping both sides, and tiny crackles of fire were visible. His knuckles were white, his wrists popped with veins, and his fingernails were trying their hardest to dig into the plastic.

"There's no fucking way any of that shit is true! Shut the fuck up, or I swear, I'LL KICK THE SHIT OUT OF ALL OF YOU FUCKERS!"

Bakugo nearly snapped his desk in two, and a small explosion could be heard when he finally sat back down.

"Bakugo! Watch your language! Such a foul mouth is unbefitting of a hero in training!" A loud and assertive Iida said, finally adding his booming voice to the conversation.

Iida was never one for gossip. While the others were talking about the recent happenings, he was silently reading a book to himself. But Bakugo's sudden sour outburst snapped him out of his focus, and his class rep instincts kicked in.

Bakugo only snarled at Iida while barely turning his head.

'There's no way. There's NO WAY he's already gotten this far ahead of me. There HAS TO BE some other bullshit way he did that.'

While Bakugo continued to grind his teeth together, the others were quick to dismiss his anger. They all knew by then that Bakugo is all bark and no bite. In the classroom, at least.

They would have continued to talk about Izuku, until a particular detail caught the attention of one of the heroes in training.

"Hey, speaking of Midoriya, where is he? He's usually here by now."

This comment made all heads scan the room, until everyone was made aware of his absence.

"Yeah, you're right. Although I wouldn't be surprised if he's getting more rest. Then again, missing a day of school is highly unlike him." Tokoyami said, finally adding his voice to the group.

"Uraraka, Kaminari and Jiro are missing too. I wonder where they are? Kero Kero." Tsuyu said, croaking in response to Tokoyami.

"Well Uraraka has an excuse, unlike Kaminari and Jiro. That reminds me, I'm surprised that you're here, Tsuyu. Shouldn't you be at home getting more rest too?" Yaoyorozu said, clearly concerned for her amphibian classmate.

"Call me Tsu. And no, I really didn't see much action, kero. I was with Uraraka for most of it, but she did a lot more than I did. I'm fine."

"But Kaminari is always late. He always shows up right before the bell rings."

"Yeah, you're right about him. I don't know what's up with Uraraka, Jiro and Midoriya though."

Everyone's attention was suddenly grasped by the sound of the classroom door sliding open. After a few seconds of anticipation, both Kaminari and Jiro groggily walked into the classroom while rubbing their eyes, and both shuffled over to the rest of the group after yawning in unison.

"Kaminari! Jiro! You two look exhausted! Such an appearance is unbecoming of future pro heroes! You must put your own health ahead of everything else and get plenty of rest!"

"Yeah yeah, class rep, we got it. It was just a long night." Jiro said.

Everyone was extremely suspicious. Why would they both be tired? And why did they come into the classroom at the same time?

"Yo, you guys were talking about Midoriya and Uraraka, right? I saw them at the beach last night with J- Owwch!"

Before Kaminari could finish his sentence, Jiro threw her elbow into his side, causing him to recoil in pain.

"W-With just me, myself and I! That's right!"

"I CALLED IT BEFORE ALL OF YOU! I KNEW IT!"

A now overjoyed pink hero started hopping up and down with her fists raised, with a huge satisfied smile stretched across her face.

"Called what?" Asked Sato.

"What do you mean what?! I called it first! I've known they've had a thing for eachother, but Kaminari just proved it to you all!"

"EXCUSEZ MOI, MADEMOISELLE!"

A loud, yet elegant voice flooded the room. That unmistakable accent could only belong to one person.

"I believe it was MOI who called it first! It was MOI who saw the love sparkle in dear Uraraka's eyes, and it was MOI who called her out on her feelings first!"

Aoyama's eyes twinkled with admiration for the concept of love. But, Mina's eyes began to lighten with something else.

"Excuuuse me?! I didn't even know you were on this ship! Let alone its captain! I'm the one who-"

"That's enough."

Again, everyone's attention was grabbed by an unexpected voice. A voice belonging to Todoroki, who had been sitting silently in his seat.

"It's rude to invade someone's private life, don't you think? Shouldn't we wait until they feel comfortable enough to tell us themselves?"

"Todoroki's right. We should respect their privacy and focus on something else." Said Yaoyorozu.

"Yeah, let's give them some time. Kero Kero."

'But I'm happy that you finally confessed, Ochako. I'm glad my advice was helpful, too.'

"I agree with you two, but I really don't think that is the case." Iida said, before calmly adjusting his glasses.

"Midoriya and Uraraka are pro heroes in training. They have a responsibility to themselves and their careers that they focus all of their energy and focus into their hero work, and I highly doubt they'd set aside any time for a romantic involving."

"Oh open your eyes, Iida! They totally have a thing going on! You can't be that blind, you have glasses!~" Said Toru.

"Excuse me! I'll have you know that my vision is fine, and that I'm being serious!"

"And what will you do if you're wrong, Iiiiida?"

"If your theory is somehow correct, then I will gladly support their decision! It doesn't mean that I will change my thoughts on it, however. They should be putting all of their effort on their work!"

While Iida continues to feud with Toru and Mina, Kirishima is dumbfounded by what he's hearing.

"Man, Midoriya is really something else, isn't he? He's the manliest man I've ever met! He's obtained power AND love! Seriously, how manly can you be?" He said, while clenching his fists in admiration.

"I don't know anything about this romantic stuff, but that won't change the way I see either of them. Midoriya is still a powerful ally and a threatening rival. Ochako is the same. If that's what they think is best, then I will support their decision and continue to respect them." Says Tokoyami, followed by a civilized chirp by Dark Shadow.

"Yeah, same here. Although I gotta admit, I'm surprised that the first class couple award wasn't taken by Kirishima and Mina." Sero said, unintentionally putting the two horn buddies on the spot.

All Kirishima could do was blush. Mina blushed as well, but she mouthed the words 'thank you' to Sero before returning to the conversation.

"I swear, if you morons don't shut your traps soon, I'll BLOW THIS WHOLE FUCKIN PLACE UP!"

Bakugo was shaking like a tremor in his chair.

'That nerd doesn't have the balls. I could have gotten a girlfriend WAY before his nerdy ass, I just haven't wanted to yet! This is bullshit!'

The sound of a sliding door causes everyone to jolt for their seats, until two students enter the room instead of their teacher. But upon seeing who the newcomers were, they'd rather have their homeroom teacher than what creeped into the room. Two overtired students shuffled into the classroom, and wiped their eyes clean of morning gunk to look at the crowd.

"H-Hey, everyone. What are you talking about?" Said a sleepy Izuku.

"Morning, guys. What's up?" Said a groggy Ochako.

For what seemed like an hour, no one said a word. The wind outside of the windows howled, the ventilation systems whirred, and the lights buzzed with electricity.

Kaminari started to casually whistle.

Izuku and Ochako exchanged worried looks. They both clearly knew that something was up. As he stared at the awkward faces that his friends wore, all that filled his mind were worrying questions, meaning that his mind began doing its normal habit of overthinking. Did everyone already know? Did someone see them at the beach last night? Did someone happen to hear them arranging the date in the hospital room? What were they all thinking? Did they all hate them now?

All Ochako could do was shoot accusing glances towards Mina and Toru, who could only look back with worried smiles. Well, atleast Mina did.

"O-Oh! We were just… talking about you two and your amazing work!" Jiro said while elbowing Kaminari in the side again to shut him up.

"Y-Yeah! Midoriya, you gotta show us the power you used against that Overhaul freak!"

"What was that, anyway? Why were people saying that you had a little girl on your back?"

"What exactly IS your quirk, anyway?"

That last question made everyone go silent, and it seemed to catch the attention of everyone who heard it. Everyone wanted to know. This, obviously, snapped Izuku out of his mental rambling and into a state of panic.

"U-Um… W-Well, you see, I-"

Suddenly, everyone's attention was stolen by the sound of the same door opening again. However, the movement was much more violent this time. That could only mean one thing. Everyone quickly darted for their seats.

"Alright scrubs, take your seats." Aizawa said.

Aizawa was just as shaken as the other students who involved themselves in the Overhaul incident. He looked even more exhausted than usual, and he was in his sleeping bag before he could even say another word. Izuku, Ochako, Kirishima and Tsuyu all picked up on this.

"Alright. Now before I start class, All Might wanted me to allow something "special." Apparently he has something to show us."

Unknown to everyone inside the classroom, All Might was eagerly awaiting for his signal. The second Aizawa finished his sentence, he immediately crashed through the sliding door, wheeling in a large TV on a cart.

"O-Oh, whoops. I sometimes forget that these doors slide open instead of swing open. Too much American TV I suppose." He said while embarrassingly rubbing the back of his head.

The large skeletal man picked up the thin door off the ground and leaned it up against the doorframe. He struggled a bit to lift it up.

"Now, students! I have something special for you! I want you to turn this TV on as soon as the bell rings, and turn it to channel 13! Got that, Aizawa?"

Aizawa nodded with his eyes closed, barely managing to look at All Might while lying on the floor.

"Good! Now, I'll be in my office should anyone need me. I have a better TV in there. Now, I'll be off!"

All Might let go of the TV cart, and waved goodbye to his students while walking towards the doorway. He wasn't looking at where he was going, which caused him to stumble over the discarded door. He kicked a huge hole in the paper screen, and almost fell onto the cold tiled floor.

"Son of a god damn bitch sucking-"

Luckily, he had trained himself in controlling his swearing in front of others to keep his hero status in flawless condition, so he only mumbled those words to himself. He took his foot out from the paper screen, and calmly picked the door up from the ground and leaned it up against a wall in the hallway.

Everyone had to use every ounce of self control they had to prevent themselves from laughing.

"Well, you heard the clutz. Before we get back into the lesson we left last friday, we'll watch whatever he has instore for us."

Right on cue, the bell that signaled the start of the school day rang, and its sharp sound echoed throughout the halls. This caused Aizawa to shiver. Without another word, Aizawa slipped one of his bandage appendages out from his sleeping bag, and used it to switch the tv on. It looked kinda funny as it scrolled through the channels. It continued until a bright green 13 illuminated the black screen, and Aizawa retracted the bandage back into his bag. He then rolled on the ground to reposition himself to a spot on the floor where he could see the TV screen, as he was slightly curious as to what the former number one hero wanted them to see so badly.

"This is Asami Chiba with Channel 13 news, bringing you an update on the 'Yakuza Incident.'"

The mention of the Yakuza immediately caused a shiver to rattle its way down everyone's spine. Aizawa found himself unzipping his sleeping bag, and he stood next to the now open doorway.

"New civilian amateur footage has surfaced, and it is certainly quite interesting."

The news station's signature transition played for a short second before changing to a shaky phone camera. The person holding the phone was clearly frightened, yet they managed to steel their nerves enough to hold the camera steady.

What the class saw made their jaws drop to the ground.

"The footage appears to capture the unknown hero who was rumored to have taken on the head villain of the Yakuza, known as 'Overhaul'."

The footage was indeed exactly that. It showed a small figure in a green garb with red fabric tied around their shoulders seemingly flying throughout the air, exchanging punches with a large amalgamation of black flesh. Who the figure was could have been anyone's guess, until they saw the familiar green lightning surrounding their body, as well as an even smaller figure wrapped underneath the red cape. The description, Izuku's recollection, and rumors matched perfectly. That was, without a doubt, Midoriya. The footage continued to capture the two figures clash together in an amazing battle, which was constantly sending shockwaves out into the surrounding area, causing the cameraman to sometimes recoil heavily. The footage finally concluded when an absolutely massive shockwave shattered the ground, shook the sky above, and caused the phone to shoot out of the man's hand.

"Eyewitness reports say that the hero depicted in the footage was a young man, but unfortunately, no other descriptions have been found of them. They remain unidentified. However, that hasn't stopped many from comparing the young hero to All Might, saying his punches seemed to shake the earth, just like the former top hero's did. All of us at Channel 13 news promise to keep you updated on the situation. This is Asami Chiba of Channel 13 news, signing off."

Every single person in the room was gobsmacked. The only sound that followed the end of the report was the sound of Aizawa turning the TV off. The amount of pure, raw power that their timid green haired classmate showed was unbelievable, and they all thought it was All Might who had returned from retirement at first, until they roughly saw a familiar green outfit.

Even Aizawa was at a loss for words.

Aizawa turned to look at Izuku, and notices that the boy is just as shocked as everyone else. Izuku had erupted in a bright red flash of a blush, since he was now the complete center of attention. He couldn't say anything, even if he wanted to. How could he? How could he possibly respond to that?

Bakugo was almost clawing the plastic surface of his desk off. He could feel a searing hot foam form in between his lips.

'Theres. No. Fucking. Way. No way. No. Way. NO FUCKING WAY. THERE'S NO WAY THAT HE COULD HAVE-'

"Woah! Deku, you were so amazing!"

The attention that was previously flattening Izuku like a hydraulic press was now turned to the source of the voice. It was Ochako, who was gleaming at Izuku with an unbridled amount of amazement and passion. Her eyes were lit up like the sun, and her fists were clenched in an expression of determination.

Izuku sighed a long breath of relief.

'U-Uraraka! Thank you! Thank you for getting me out of that silence!'

His cheeks erupted even more, despite being free of that accursed stressful air.

"I-It was nothing! It r-really wasn't that big of a d-deal! Hahahh!"

"What do you MEAN not a big deal? That was incredible!"

"Was that even YOU up there, Midoriya? You were like a different person!"

"That wasn't nothing! You were amazing! How did you get so strong? What kind of sugary foods did you eat?"

"I got goosebumps by just watching it! You were almost like All Might-"

"SLAM!"

The conversation was ended faster than it was started. Aizawa brought the palm of his hand down onto his desk, ushering in a new wave of silence.

"Alright. I'm sure we're all still in shock over that overwhelming footage, and I'm sure we have a lot of questions for Midoriya here, but for now, we're going to return to normal. No more interruptions, no more outbursts. And please, leave the poor kid alone today. I'm sure he's incredibly overwhelmed at the moment, so I don't want to hear any prying from any of you. Understand?"

"Yes, Sensei!" Said everyone in the classroom in unison.

Just as Aizawa planned, school resumed as usual. The usual English with Present Mic, Hero studies with All Might, modern literature with Cementoss, hero art history with Midnight, and math with Ectoplasm. However, there was one occurrence in each of these classes that differed from the usual. Every now and then, Izuku and Ochako would catch each other in their glances. They'd remember that the other would sometimes stare at them during class, which caused a painfully obvious blush. After all, they're still coming to terms that the day before really did happen, and that they were now an official couple. They still had a lot to work on, and a gigantic learning curve to overcome.

There was also the fact that unknown to them, Mina was on watch for any "moments" between the two. Any awkward eye contact was immediately reported to the others.

Throughout the day, Bakugo was absolutely inconsolable. Not even Kirishima could get to him. The amount of anger and fury he was holding in his heart and belly was so great, that anyone around him could actually feel the heat leaking out through his nostrils. Once again, the boy who he had tormented and bullied for years, the boy who he had threatened and intimidated to prevent him from trying to get into U.A, the boy who he lost against in a training exercise, the boy who got Todoroki to show his fire powers where he couldn't, the boy who he fought against and won against despite knowing that he was holding back, had once again surpassed him. And this time, it was by a thousand miles. It took every single ounce of self restraint to keep himself from blowing the entire building sky high.

At long last, 3 pm had arrived. The final bell tolled, sending a relieving reverb throughout the building, and every student was overjoyed to finally head home. While everyone was exiting the classroom, Izuku and Ochako waited for everyone to leave. They exchanged worried glances at each other when they see Iida rise from his seat and head towards the door. When they are finally alone, and everyone is a decent pace ahead of them, they walk outside together.

"S-So, what are we going to tell Iida?"

"I've been thinking about that all day, Deku. I'm really worried about it."

"Yeah, so am I."

The pair continue to walk towards the security gate that separates the dorms from the main building, and are both relieved and scared when they see Iida standing just outside of the gate, doing his usual pre-run stretches. They look at eachother one last time, and nod in unison. It's now or never. They scan their student IDs, and walk through the gate.

"Hey, Iida!"

"Oh! I was waiting for you two! There's actually something I've been meaning to ask the both of you all day. It's rather important."

Both kids gulped. They felt stupid for not expecting him to figure it out on his own.

"I heard some rather… interesting rumors this morning. While I am against all forms of gossip and rumors as the class rep, I can't help but to ask. Is there anything that you two have to tell me?"

The couple look at eachother again, if only for a moment, and quickly ready themselves to tell their best friend that they were, in fact, dating.

"A-Actually Iida, yes. There is something we've been meaning to tell you all day. You see, Izuku and I are… kinda… sorta…"

"D-Dating."

While Ochako is surprised that Izuku was the one who spilled the beans, Iida clearly had her beat. A cold silence surrounded the trio, and a severe sense of awkward dread surrounded them. Izuku could feel his skeleton attempt to jump out from his throat, and Ochako was at the brink of floating off to another planet.

"Oh, I see. So the rumors were right. I must say, I do not agree with your decision in the slightest. I think you two should be focusing all of your effort and time into your hero work rather than each other, but… in a way, I can understand why you two would take this course of action. I've always gotten the sense that there was something more between you two, so I cannot say that I am unhappy with your decision either. It isn't healthy to keep feelings bottled up inside. I just want you to understand this, as well as the fact that I will continue to support you two despite this. BUT REMEMBER! We're still young! I will not tolerate any funny business in public or around the others! I am still the class rep! But, I'll always be your friend, too. I refuse to treat you any different, and I only wish the best for you two in your new relationship."

Iida's words left the young couple speechless.

"But, I can trust you two enough to not let this affect our friendship, correct?"

"O-Oh! Yes, Iida, you don't have to worry about that! You won't be a third wheel around us! You'll still be treated the same!"

"Yeah! We won't let this affect us at all! We value you as a friend, and we'd never do something to threaten that."

"Good, I know I can trust you two. As with everything. Now, I've decided to dedicate myself to some extra running after school daily. If I'm going to make schedule, I need to start. I'll see you in the dorms later! Goodbye!"

"Y-Yeah, see you later, Iida!"

"B-Bye, Iida!"

With that out of the way, the class president could finally focus his mind for the first time all day. In secret, his brain had been churning in an endless cycle of doubt, acceptance, theorizing, and critical thinking. The thought of romance in the heroic line of work confused Iida beyond belief. Was it actually possible? Were his friends really in love with one another? Would he just turn into a third wheel? Could they really realize their full potential while balancing a relationship on top of everything? Iida was unbelievably conflicted with his thoughts. He was both concerned, doubtful, and happy for the two at the same time. However, hearing that they were planning on telling him and the fact that they reassured him put his heart at ease. He trusted them. He's trusted them with his life before, so why couldn't he trust them with this? They were strong, capable heroes, and he no longer had any doubt in his mind. If anyone could balance hero work and romance and still come out on top, it was those two. He smiled to himself as he relayed these thoughts in his head, and quickly quickened his pace.

"W-Well, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be."

"Yeah, Deku, I know what you mean. I really wasn't expecting that at all."

Silence ensnared the two, until Ochako looked at Izuku with a deep, passionate gaze. This caused his face to spiral into a bright shade of crimson.

"H-Hey, Deku… could you… do you… want to go do something again?"

"R-Really? U-Uraraka, I'd love to, b-but… I have something that I need to do today."

Izuku's heart sank as he saw the look of pure disappointment on his partner's face.

"But, you can come with me if you w-want." He said while his embarassed glance slowly shifted towards the ground.

Her smile quickly returned to her face, brightening up the surrounding area, and causing Izuku's eyes to squint. He truly loved her smile, even though it was really bright.

"Yeah, sure Deku! I'd love to!"

"A-Alright! Let's go, then."

Izuku turned around to start their journey to their destination, but he quickly remembered a promise that they had made the day before. He turned back around, and hesitantly extended his arm out to hers. His face was comparable to a clown's nose, and he couldn't bring himself to look at her while he was this embarrassed. Lucky for him, he wasn't alone for long. She quickly got the message, and she too started to blush a bright shade of red. She reached her hand out to his, and they found their fingers quickly interlocked, as if on instinct.

Their faces resembled the brake lights of a car. However, much to the pleasure of both of them, they quickly began to grow more comfortable with holding hands.

"So, Deku… where are we going, anyway?"

He resisted the urge to smack his forehead out of sheer stupidity.

'Oh, I was so embarrassed that I forgot to tell her where I was going!'

"O-Oh! Yeah. You remember the little girl we saved, Eri? She's been asking for me a lot, so I was going to go see her."

BONUS

All Mineta could do was cower in the fetal position in the corner of the classroom. The rumors, the gossip, the TRUTH was just too much for him to bear. How? How has this happened? Why do bad things happen to good people? He thought he's been nothing but pleasant to everyone else, so why was such a terrible, horrible, awful thing happening to him?

'No way. No way. No way. No way. No way. No way. No way. No way…'

He was now rocking back and forth, cradling his head in his palms.

"How? How could this happen? How could I have been so blind? The opportunity was right in the palm of my hand, and I let it slip… Why do bad things happen to good people?"

He couldn't accept it. He wouldn't accept it. How could he? It was like part of his world had just collapsed on him, permanently injuring him and leaving a scar. How could he continue living like this? Without ever living to his full potential? Without all of his options?

"How could someone like him, get a girl like her? Hahah, a nerd, ending up with a hottie like her… What's a hunk like me to do? I think I'll just stay here for a little bit longer…"

He had to accept it. It was the truth. It was happening, and he had to come to terms with it.

His options have been limited, and he has been found wanting.

Ochako was off the table.

Author's Notes

WOW! First off, I need to apologize. Especially if you don't follow me on Tumblr. I've taken quite a long break due to writer's block, my work schedule intensifying, and just losing my spark that got me writing in the first place. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but I am so relieved to finally sit down and write again. It's a little shorter than the others, but I'm very satisfied with how it came out. I've had this chapter planned out since chapter 6 was released, it just took so long to actually write. But now that I'm back, I hope to keep the streak up. Now, I need to address something else. Romance and Heroics will have an end, and I've decided how I'm going to go about it. I'm going to tie up all loose ends that the Overhaul arc had in my own way, and end it there. (Obviously with lots of Izuocha, duh) I originally planned on writing my own arc, but sadly I don't see that happening, at least not with this story. I have plenty of ideas for other fics, so don't worry! And if you don't follow me on Tumblr, you can find me under the same name, RumpCrunch! I post fic updates, reblog my friends' posts (who all love Izuocha) and sometimes make my own posts! And of course, If you haven't already joined, the Izuocha discord channel is always looking for new members! Trust me, when I find out that someone joined because of me, it seriously makes my whole week. (Make sure you tell them Rump sent you.) But of course, I really, really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I really hope you found that it was worth the wait. I'll see you all next time!


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